As the official start to the 2020 NFL off-season approaches, speculation surrounding the futures of some big names around the league are already being talked about.
Our series of position breakdowns on the Kansas City Chiefs roster continues as we take a look at the potential changes that could be on the way to the team’s wide receiving core.
Wide Receivers: (5) – Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, Byron Pringle, Gehrig Dieter
UFA: Demarcus Robinson
ERFA: Marcus Kemp
The Chiefs receiving group became known as the fastest the league has ever seen. Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman, and Demarcus Robinson, also known as the ‘Legion of Zoom’, were a part of what made the Chiefs offense so quick and difficult for opposing defenses to stop in 2019.
Yet, changes could be on the way for Kansas City’s receiving core depending on what happens regarding Demarcus Robinson and Sammy Watkins.
Robinson is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent and Sammy Watkins could end up getting cut if something doesn’t change regarding his contract situation.
Robinson could be in for a big payday, but it won’t be from Brett Veach in Kansas City. Rumors are already swirling around that teams such as the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles plan to pursue the 25-year-old receiver. Leaving via free agency makes sense for Robinson anyhow because it allows him to step out and make a name for himself as a productive piece to another team’s instead of being a slot guy that provides depth at the backend of the Chiefs depth chart.
Besides, with players like Chris Jones and Pat Mahomes, who need extensions and with just a little over $13.6 million in cap space according to Over the Cap, bringing back a replaceable slot receiver like Robinson won’t be high on Kansas City’s off-season-to-do list.
As for Sammy Watkins, one of two things are going to happen and it’ll completely be up to Brett Veach and his upper staff.
It’s worth pointing out that according to Over the Cap, Watkins’ current contract is set to be a $21 million cap hit against the Chiefs’ salary cap for the 2020 season. If Veach decides to let the veteran receiver go, it’ll free up about $14 million in cap space and they’ll only have to pay Watkins approximately $7 million in dead money.
That’s one option.
Doing that would give Kansas City more wiggle room to participate in free agency or perhaps Chris Jones and/or Pat Mahomes. Then come draft time, Veach could replace Watkins with a rookie receiver of his choosing that’ll be way cheaper for the duration of a rookie contract.
Or option two, the Chiefs sit with Watkins and negotiate a pay cut to restructure Watkins’ current cap hit to allow him to play for the 2020 season.
Doing so would free up some cash in order for Kansas City to make a few moves this off-season but probably not enough to do all that they’d like to do.
So it’ll be interesting to see how Brett Veach and his upper staff decides to handle this situation.
While Watkins can be a productive receiver when healthy, it personally makes more sense to free up the cap space by releasing him and addressing some of the bigger needs on the roster.
If Kansas City plans on paying Mahomes $20 million a year, investing in the offensive line would be a no brainer and I’m sure paying Chris Jones and reloading the defensive backs are also high priorities this off-season.
The holes left by Watkins and Demarcus Robinson will also open up a major opportunity for young receivers like Byron Pringle, Gehrig Dieter, and Marcus Kemp to compete for an opportunity to be apart of the starting offense.
The Chiefs can also draft another wide receiver in the mid-to-late rounds of the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, that possesses the same skill sets as Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman to compete for a roster spot and keep the Legion of Zoom an offensive threat for the foreseeable future.
