KC Chiefs: Positions that need upgraded before trade deadline
By Chris Clark
DEFENSIVE LINE
As if the Colts weren’t already running the ball all over the Chiefs during that Sunday night game, the injuries to the defensive line only invited the abuse even more. Other teams can now see this weakness and will try to exploit it however they can. The best way to beat the Chiefs is to keep the ball out of the hands of Mahomes and eat the clock with a decent run game.
The schedule for the next five to six weeks includes teams that have implemented a decent run game thus far this season. Immediate help will be needed to fix this problem and would be a nice luxury even when Chris Jones or Xavier Williams return to action. Hopefully, the addition of an upper-echelon player would inject some talent into this void as well as increase the Chiefs’ Super Bowl odds.
There is one veteran defensive lineman that hasn’t come close to getting to the big game and would likely be excited to get the chance. The Cincinnati Bengals’ Geno Atkins is a two-time All-Pro that still has something left in the tank, even in the latter part of his career. The former 2010 fourth-round draft pick has certainly exceeded his draft status.
Much like Washington, Cincinnati is another team in the running to potentially pick first in the 2020 draft. With a first-year head coach and a few aging veterans, it might be time for the Bengals to get some value for these players before their careers come to a close.
Shipping Atkins to Kansas City in exchange for picks would help set the Bengals up for the future and give the Chiefs a talented player to shore up the defensive line.
According to Pro Football Focus, Atkins currently has an overall 2019 grade that is more than double that of Xavier Williams. That alone would improve the Chiefs’ defense even if Williams were available. While Atkins is 31 years old, he’s under contract through 2022, which gives the Chiefs the potential to retain him beyond 2019 if desired.
The two big questions when exploring a trade for Atkins are whether or not the Chiefs want to take on his contract and what would be fair trade compensation. Is Atkins worth a second and later round pick as a likely short-term rental? The answer could very well be yes if it means getting a Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season.