Kansas City Chiefs: Michael Crabtree linked to Chiefs for 2019 season

We’re two weeks away from training camp and there have been some rumblings lately on how Michael Crabtree could be a fit for the Kansas City Chiefs.

This would be an intriguing move to say the least. There’s not a huge need at wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs at the moment, especially considering Tyreek Hill may not receive any type of suspension whatsoever.

The buzz on Michael Crabtree to Kansas City was first started by Gil Brandt of NFL.com, a well-respected name in the NFL community. Brandt published a piece on finding teams for the top free agents still on the market. As you can predict, he had Crabtree landing with the Chiefs, writing,

"Crabtree’s numbers continued to stagnate in 2018, as the veteran finished with less than 60 catches and 620 yards for the second consecutive season. Is the 32-year-old in physical decline, or was his drop-off a byproduct of the offensive adjustments the Ravens made to accommodate Lamar Jackson after the dual-threat quarterback took over in Baltimore?~~~He was released by the Raiders and Ravens in consecutive offseasons, and receivers do tend to fall off rapidly, especially those who never had burning speed to start with. It would be logical for the Chiefs to take a flier on Crabtree, especially with Tyreek Hill’s availability still up in the air."

There was more in this segment, but I didn’t include it all. Definitely be sure to check Brandt’s article out, as it was a great read!

Crabtree was once one of the better names at the wide receiver position. It wasn’t long ago when he went for over 1,000 yards and grabbed eight touchdowns with the Raiders (2016). The past two seasons, however, have seen him combine for just over 1,200 yards.

Looking at the Chiefs receiver depth chart, the need for someone like Crabtree really isn’t there. Say Hill does end up getting suspended, the team still has Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson, rookie Mecole Hardman, and then potential fliers like Byron Pringle, Gehrig Dieter, Marcus Kemp, and even rookie Cody Thompson.

Yes, Watkins is hurt a lot, Robinson has been overrated for a good chunk of his career, and we don’t know what to expect from Hardman, but does Crabtree have anything left in the tank? As Brandt noted in the blurb above, he was released by both the Raiders and Ravens. He’ll also be 32 in September, which isn’t exactly a promising age for receivers.

Michael Crabtree is three seasons removed from going for over 1,000 yards, but receivers decline at a rapid pace and perhaps that’s the reason he hasn’t gone for more than 650 yards since that prolific season.

If the Kansas City Chiefs do opt to gift Patrick Mahomes another weapon and decide that weapon should be Michael Crabtree, hopefully they buy low on the soon-to-be 32 year old wideout.

What do you think, Chiefs Kingdom? Would you be okay with Crabtree being a Chief in 2019 or should the Chiefs avoid signing him?