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How the Chiefs can win the NFL trade deadline in 3 easy steps

Yes, trading for a wide receiver is part of it.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes | Kevin Sabitus/GettyImages

The Kansas City Chiefs moved to 6-2 on the season with Sunday's win over the New York Jets, but a hamstring injury to wide receiver Xavier Worthy continued to stress how important it is that the Chiefs add a wide receiver before Tuesday's trade deadline.

Can the Chiefs emerge as the winners of the deadline, putting the team on track to win the AFC? Maybe, but they'll need to make sure they make the right moves.

Trade for Josh Downs

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

So much of the trade chatter with the Chiefs has been about adding a wide receiver, and there's good reason for that: they need to! Between poor roster construction and injuries, the Chiefs have a huge hole at the position. This week, for example, we saw Andrew Armstrong play 22 offensive snaps at the position. He has two career receptions.

Shoring up that position is huge, and trading for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs would go a long way toward fixing that. Downs, who has asked out of Indianapolis already, is a slot machine who would be extremely productive across the middle of the field for Patrick Mahomes.

He's not the most exciting addition, but the primary thing Kansas City needs right now is consistency, and Downs would bring that. He'd give Mahomes a reliable weapon and while he might not stretch the field as much as Chiefs fans might want, that's fine right now. The Chiefs need NFL-quality talent at the position, and beyond Rashee Rice and the maybe-injured Worthy, they don't have that right now.

Trade for Brian Thomas Jr. too

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Downs is the "you need to get this done" trade. Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. is the "we want to make a splash" trade.

First, prying Thomas away from another AFC contender won't be easy. It might not even be possible. It's easy to imagine Jacksonville saying no to any other from the Chiefs because the team views 2026 as their chance to win a title, and thus, they won't want to make another AFC team better. But maybe the Chiefs can just make an offer so good that the Jaguars can't say no?

Thomas has regressed from his strong rookie campaign, but this is also a guy who is only a year and a half or so removed from looking like a future star. If a change in scenery can get him back on track, the Chiefs would be getting a flashy outside receiver who can make big plays down the field. This is way, way more risky than a Downs trade both in terms of what you have to give up and how much you can rely on his production, but it's a risk this team should definitely consider taking.

Trade for Spencer Shrader

Indianapolis Colts kicker Spencer Shrader | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Sunday, Harrison Butker did what he does best these days: he missed a field goal. But hey, there was a flag on the play, so he got to move five yards closer and try again. He promptly...missed another field goal. It's early November and Butker has already missed more field goals this season than he has in any full campaign.

Changes have to be made. The Chiefs know this, which is why they signed Justin Tucker to the practice squad, but is Tucker really the best option here? (Very, very serious) Off-field questions aside, Tucker looked washed last season. One of the greatest kickers of all time, Tucker made just 73.3 percent of his field goal attempts, by far the worst mark of his career. Is he really who you want to replace Butker with?

What about doubling down on the Colts' fire sale? Spencer Shrader has made 93 percent of his career field goal attempts and has just two misses all season. While he's young and could be part of the future for the Colts, this team is in rough shape, so if you can get an asset back for a kicker, you have to do it, right? Kansas City would suddenly solve one of its biggest weaknesses with this move.

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