Rumblings of the Kansas City Chiefs adding a wide receiver have been growing louder every week, and after the Jacksonville Jaguars' Sunday morning loss in London, Brian Thomas Jr. should be begging for a fresh start.
The Chiefs lost Tyquan Thornton for at least the next three months of the season due to a dislocated ankle. Rashee Rice did not practice all week and will miss today's game versus the Los Angeles Chargers with a hamstring injury. And even before losing both guys, Brett Veach was mulling over signing or trading for an extra pass-catcher anyways.
One guy who was up for grabs but got nabbed for a second-round pick was Marvin Harrison Jr. In most league circles, that seemed like an overpay by the Houston Texans to land the disgruntled third-year man. It also brings up questions about what the market looks like for Thomas, who has done far more than Harrison ever did.
Could Brian Thomas Jr. be the latest Brett Veach first-round reclamation project?
Kansas City did actually make an addition to the receiving corps this past week by re-signing veteran Justin Watson, who was a part of the Chiefs' back-to-back Super Bowl titles. But now, at age 30 and a couple years removed from having any kind of on-field impact, Watson, hopefully is seen as purely a depth piece by Andy Reid rather than an instant Thornton replacement.
This year has been more than disappointing for Brian Thomas Jr. He has amassed just 105 yards on 9 catches and 1 TD through six games. A far cry from his rookie year, when he came fourth in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting and made the Pro Bowl off a nearly 1,300-yard season on almost 90 catches and 10 scores.
It's hard to quantify exactly why Thomas has been completely fazed out of Liam Coen's passing attack. Through the last two games, Thomas has just 5 targets and no catches. In fact, he did not record a snap in the second half of today's loss, after only 15 plays in the first, which ranked fourth among receivers on his own team.
To trade for Thomas would be taking a bet on a lot of unknowns. Because with how little he's been on the field this year, it's difficult to assess whether he is still that guy from a couple of seasons ago. Or if his career has truly gone downhill faster than most.
It's up to Veach and the Chiefs' front office to assess that, and also decide if the price point is worth it. The Chiefs would be trading for Thomas for the rest of this year, next year, and a fifth-year option. What the Jaguars would want in return for that, I don't know. But what I do know is that at this point he's a better player than Marvin Harrison Jr. Is Thomas worth a second, or even first-round pick?
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