Following the sternoclavicular injury suffered by Marquise “Hollywood” Brown on the first play of the Kansas City Chiefs’ first preseason game of 2024, the team’s projected No. 1 wide receiver will be out “for some time,” according to head coach Andy Reid. How will Brown’s injury impact the Chiefs’ crowded wide receiver room, and could it lead to the return of a familiar face?
Let’s start with the roster spot issue, which is exacerbated by Brown’s injury. Besides Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson appear to be the other wide receivers firmly on the roster. There’s still a chance that Rice will be suspended by the league, but as the regular season approaches, it becomes more plausible that Rice won’t face league disciplinary action until he goes through the legal process. In the meantime, the Chiefs can’t do much with Brown’s roster spot while he recovers, assuming he misses at least Week 1. Even if Brown were to be placed on the injured list, which currently seems unlikely given that he would miss the first four weeks of the season, he would still need to be on the team’s initial active 53-man roster. Unless Rice is suspended, that’s four final spots on the roster at wide receivers, with six or Perhaps A total of seven WR spots are available.
What does all this mean for the Chiefs’ receivers? I think it helps secure a current Chief’s spot on the roster and makes a potential reunion with another a little more enticing.
For the current member of the roster: Mecole Hardman could have his spot secured. Hardman is entering his sixth year with the Chiefs (after starting last season with the New York Jets) and re-signed with KC late this offseason. In some ways, the now-experienced Hardman felt like insurance for Rice and Worthy, providing KC with a player who can do a number of useful things in Andy Reid’s offense while the rookie gets up to speed and in case the second-year player gets suspended. While Worthy looked explosive in training camp and Rice could avoid his suspension in 2024, Hardman’s insurance policy can now be extended to Brown as well.
At this point in his career, Hardman’s potential is less exciting than it was in his earlier years – he’s a known quantity. Under certain circumstances, that could sound negative. For the Chiefs, Hardman’s safety is what separates him from Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Justyn Ross. Injuries and/or quality of play have made it difficult to rely on that tantalizing trio. Hardman offers some stability despite his weaknesses.
On August 9, the New England Patriots released JuJu Smith-Schuster. Even before Brown’s injury, Smith-Schuster’s potential chance to return to Kansas City was worth discussing. What’s the situation now?
Smith-Schuster’s brief tenure with the Chiefs, en route to a Super Bowl victory, seems to disappear among KC’s recent success stories. Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving yards in 2022, but Smith-Schuster was the No. 1 wide receiver by a wide margin, managing 933 receiving yards in the regular season and topping 1,000, including the postseason. That season landed Smith-Schuster a strong contract with the Patriots before his time in New England was derailed by injuries that have derailed much of his career.
Smith-Schuster’s disappointing 11 games, seven starts, and 260 yards in New England are certainly cause for concern. But remember what Smith-Schuster did in 2021 before signing with the Chiefs in 2022? He played just five regular-season games before suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5. That’s undoubtedly different than the persistent knee issues that seem to have weakened Smith-Schuster as a player, but it’s a worthwhile reminder that the Chiefs were willing to gamble on Smith-Schuster’s earlier years as long as they could get him for a good price. Now that a minimal contract likely enables a potential deal, that’s a low-risk gamble that could pay off.
If the Chiefs call up Smith-Schuster, it would be at the expense of a roster spot for Moore, Toney, Ross or Nikko Remigio. In the current composition of the group, only one or possibly two of that duo would make the active roster. Ultimately, the Chiefs could be happy with their internal solutions and Smith-Schuster may be hoping to sign with a team where he gets more playing time than he would likely get in KC, but if both sides are interested in reuniting, he could add a little more stability to the group before and after Brown’s return.
Right now, I’d bet a slim bet on the Chiefs sticking with their younger group and trusting Hardman and Watson to step in during Brown’s potentially brief absence. However, if Rice gets news from the league while Smith-Schuster is still available, I’d bet on it in a heartbeat.
