What Patriots signing Antonio Brown means for KC Chiefs

KC Chiefs fans watched the Antonio Brown saga unfold on Saturday that ended with the All-Pro wide receiver landing with the Patriots. How does this affect our Chiefs?

Believe me when I say this, but I truly do not where to begin here. The Summer of Antonio Brown has been absolutely wild. From frostbitten feet, to tantrums over helmets, to threatening to literally fight his general manager, Antonio Brown’s story has been wild.

I didn’t even mention the” will they, won’t they” suspension that Oakland pondered for all of five seconds, the $30 million (!) of guaranteed money that was voided, or the freakin’ phone call with Jon Gruden that AB recorded secretly and used to make an actual cinematic YouTube video.

All of this finally came to a head the day before NFL opening Sunday, with the subsequent news of Antonio Brown being released by the Raiders being announced via Twitter.

Finally, some respite from the Antonio Brown Circus.

After the news broke, people were speculating if Brown would play at all this season. Kansas City Chiefs fans were smiling to themselves, as a Raiders implosion will always bring a little extra joy to the day. We could finally turn our attention to the opening of the 2019 season against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Some of us were probably even contemplating in our heads (but definitely not out loud) could maybe the Chiefs give AB a call? Regardless, the saga was over and the drama behind us.

Then we got another classic one line Schefty Bomb:

Uh-oh.

This move is classic Belichick. Of course he would sign Brown just hours after his release. Of course it was the night before the Patriots play Brown’s former team. Just, of course the Patriots could pull this move off.

From a pure football standpoint, this makes the Patriots three receiver set of Josh Gordon, Julian Edelman, and Antonio Brown among the best in the NFL. I would go as far as too say from a pure talent standpoint, that could be the three best receivers to ever touch the field together. That is not an overreaction either.

Brown is a certified Hall of Famer, Gordon has led the league in receiving, and Edelman has 500 career catches to his name as the the third option in the offense.

The biggest problem for NFL defenses is these three receivers complement each other perfectly. Brown can play all three positions, and is maybe the best pure route runner in the game. Edelman will be able to work mismatches in the slot and find soft spots in zone coverage, and Gordon is the prototypical big body receiver, who can make contested catches and act as a consistent deep threat.

The Chiefs biggest weakness is their corner depth. Their competition’s biggest strength just happens to be at wide receiver now. That is why I believe there could be a silver lining in all of this. Belichick and the Patriots just threw the ball into Brett Veach’s court. Expect him to respond.

It is no secret that the Chiefs need corner help. Their starting corners are actually a solid if unspectacular group. That will not be enough to stop the Patriots. Veach now has to exhaust all avenues to bring in some corner help.

The Chiefs have a full stock of draft picks, and with the extension of Tyreek Hill, they also have a young core locked up for the foreseeable future.

This puts Kansas City in a unique and enviable situation; they have a ton of young talent locked up and a full cache of draft picks to work with. The signings of Hill and LeSean McCoy (yeah don’t forget about him) bit into the Chiefs cap space a bit.

If you consider that the Chiefs can save nearly $21 million dollars by cutting or restructuring Sammy Watkins in the offseason, that shouldn’t be an issue moving forward. Translation, the Chiefs can afford to give up major draft capital without mortgaging the future to acquire an elite corner.

A name to keep an eye on is Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. The Dolphins recently locked him up to a big contract extension, but if the Chiefs trade for him, his cap hit is very manageable. The Dolphins would eat some dead cap in the deal, making this the most attractive option for the Chiefs.

The problem here is that the Dolphins may view Howard as untouchable. He is a young building block that the Dolphins decided to keep amidst their fire sale of talent. Still, offering a few more high end draft picks could sway Miami into changing that mindset.

If the Chiefs do add Howard, they get an elite corner capable of stifling even the best receivers. I don’t think they would stop there either.

Veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes has seen an extreme dip in his production. He is also vocally unhappy in Minnesota. This is the kind of trade Veach could pull off for cheap, maybe even sacrificing some receiver depth to pry away the veteran, along with a mid to late pick, of course.

A change of scenery could be just what Rhodes needs to recapture his old form. Even if he doesn’t get back to his lockdown ways, he offers great depth at a position that is about as shallow as a puddle after a spring shower for the Chiefs right now.

Belichick and the Patriots found a way to get better less than an hour before the season opener and it is time for the Chiefs to fire back.

Don’t expect Brett Veach and company to sit on their hands on this one. The responsive move may not come immediately, but make no mistake, the Chiefs WILL respond. Whether it’s next week or right before the trade deadline, this is only the beginning of what is shaping up to be a hell of an AFC arms race. I, for one, am here for it.

Buckle up folks, because this is only just the beginning.