4 last-minute trade targets worth the Chiefs' consideration

When the Kansas City Chiefs take the field against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Monday Night Football, They will try to remain the NFL's only undefeated team. A win would also maintain a two-game lead for the playoff bye in the AFC. That would be a huge advantage for the team in its quest to achieve the NFL's first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.

While the team and coaches try to make that happen on the field, Brett Veach could have one final move before Tuesday's NFL trade deadline that could also help the three-score hopes.

The Chiefs were already big players before the deadline. First, it was the acquisition of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. Then last week, the Chiefs added pass rusher Joshua Uche via a trade with the New England Patriots. It's rare for a team to make two or even three trades like this before the deadline, but there's enough speculation from NFL insiders that Kansas City could still be waiting for another move to make it at least some consideration is worth.

The excitement surrounding a third potential Chiefs trade revolves around two positions: cornerback and wide receiver. Yes, the Chiefs already brought in DeAndre Hopkins, but with JuJu Smith-Schuster thriving, Rashee Rice out for a year, and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown out for at least the regular season, KC could still use another contributor at the position. As for cornerback, KC has become a bit thin at the position with the loss of Jaylen Watson (after trading for L'Jarius Sneed in the offseason).

The Chiefs don't have a lot of cap space to work with. Depending on whose numbers you believe, Over The Cap has Kansas City at around $3.8 million in space after adding Uche. Spotrac puts it at about $2.5 million. Either way, the Chiefs don't have much room to add a player without moving some money.

So who might the Chiefs target if they make another move? Let's start with a few options at cornerback.

Marshon Lattimore – New Orleans Saints

If the Chiefs were to reach for the fences and make a big move that would freak out the rest of the NFL, this would be it. Marshon Lattimore is one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and pairing him with Trent McDuffie on an already elite defense would be terrifying for opposing offenses.

If you want to be optimistic about this potential deal, then the Saints are about $70 million over the cap next season and after a loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, they are now 2-7 and need to consider selling some Cut off pieces. While Lattimore is under contract for two more seasons (2025-2026), his base salary for this season is incredibly low, so the Chiefs could acquire this top corner without freeing up even more cap space.

The problem with acquiring Lattimore (aside from the reasonable capital cost of the draft) is that it would require paying him significant amounts of money over the next two seasons, which could make it difficult to retain some of the team's homegrown players (like Trey Smith and Nick Bolton).

The other question is, how healthy is Lattimore? He missed Sunday's game with a hamstring injury. Was this more of a precautionary measure because they want to trade him, or could this be a permanent thing that could cause remorse for a team like the KC buyer if they were to trade him now?

Ronald Darby-Jacksonville Jaguars

If the Chiefs wanted to make a much less eye-catching move for a veteran cornerback, Ronald Darby might be a guy to keep an eye on. Darby would be more of a flyer than a game-changing move like Lattimore. Darby is 30 years old and in the first year of a two-year, $8.5 million contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Darby wasn't great in Jacksonville, but he could potentially be another rebuilding project for KC. He has experience covering man players and is a solid tackler on the outside (his Pro Football Focus run defense rating of 78.0 is the 13th best by a CB, one spot behind Trent McDuffie). Additionally, the Jaguars have other younger corners to build on in the future in Tyson Campbell, Jarrian Jones and Montaric Brown.

Darby would be owed less than $1 million for the rest of this season and would be under contract with KC for about $3.5 million next season (non-guaranteed) if things work out for him.

This makes sense not only because he's cheap and Jacksonville would probably part with him for next to nothing. Many of you may remember that Brett Veach and then-newly signed defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo acquired Darby during free agency in 2019 and were reportedly working on signing him. It didn't work out, but we've seen several times where the Chiefs come back years later to get a guy they had previously shown interest in.

Demarcus Robinson – Los Angeles Rams

It seems highly unlikely that the Chiefs will make another big addition at wide receiver after trading for DeAndre Hopkins. What they could use is another proven wideout who could be part of a rotation for the Chiefs. Of all the cheap options out there, Demarcus Robinson probably makes the most sense given his familiarity with KC's offense from his previous years in Kansas City. And if the Chiefs plan on using DeAndre Hopkins in the Rashee Rice/JuJu Smith-Schuster role on offense, it makes perfect sense to add a bigger body who could play some traditional X-receiver snaps on the outside.

The Chiefs are running the ball more lately, and having someone like Robinson take a few snaps on early downs to protect Hopkins from wear and tear makes more sense than using 160-pound Xavier Worthy in those situations. Even though it looks like the Rams still want to compete this season, Robinson is on an expiring contract, and with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua, Tutu Atwell and rookie Jordan Whittington all possible options, they could feel like they could part ways with Robinson in exchange for a late-round draft pick.

KJ Osborn – New England Patriots

While KJ Osborn may not have experience in the Chiefs' offense, he makes sense as a possible last-second addition before the trade deadline. Osborn has become a non-factor in New England this season. He has been targeted just once in the last two games and has only seven catches for 57 yards this season. The Patriots have other young wideouts they prioritize, and Osborne has a one-year deal that is expiring. He should be even cheaper than Joshua Uche and would owe less than $1 million for the rest of the season.

So why would the Chiefs want to trade for a wideout who hasn't produced and doesn't know his offense? Osborn can block really well. In fact, Osborn entered last weekend with PFF's ninth-best run-blocking grade by a wide receiver this season. He's another guy Kansas City could use on the outside if they want to run the ball and save wear and tear on players like Hopkins, Worthy and Smith-Schuster. Additionally, Osborn was a pretty reliable secondary receiver in Minnesota before coming to New England. In his three seasons with the Vikings, he averaged 52.7 receptions per season.

What do you think, Chiefs fans? Do you think the Chiefs will make a last-minute move? If so, what do you think of these four options? I know Lattimore is the only big name, but would you agree to any of the other depth options if the price was cheap enough? I would love to read your thoughts in the comments below.