Despite No Buzzer-Beating Move at Trade Deadline, Chiefs Can Still Go All In

The Chiefs may not have secured one final move at the trade deadline, but their approach this fall can set them up for a three-peat push anyway.

Jul 26, 2024; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) throws a pass as general manager Brett Veach watches in the background during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The 2024 NFL trade deadline came and went, but not without plenty of action along the way. Several teams either bought or sold as one of the most drama-filled days of the football calendar approached, attempting to make a playoff push or look ahead to the future. The Kansas City Chiefs, winners of eight games in a row to start the season, classify squarely as the former.

This current run is only part of a bigger journey for Kansas City to accomplish what no other club ever has: win three championships in a row. While everything that takes place now is setting up for that final rush, nothing that happens in Weeks 1-10 will entirely determine what could occur once the playoffs begin in January.

It sure can help alter that path, though. In the aftermath of the deadline, some folks appear concerned that the Chiefs needed an additional acquisition to complete the team – just one more move to solidify the NFL's greatest ongoing dynasty. Instead, general manager Brett Veach deemed his work done and opted to stand pat on deadline day without bringing in talent at spots like cornerback, wide receiver or left tackle.

Veach may not have shoved every last chip to the middle of the table on Tuesday, but it's worth emphasizing that Kansas City can absolutely still go all the way in over the next few months.

Let's start with what Veach did do. With a glaring need at wideout, the Chiefs sent a conditional Day 3 2025 NFL Draft selection to the Tennessee Titans for DeAndre Hopkins. Just two games into his tenure with the team, the three-time All-Pro has already established chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and scored a pair of touchdowns. Even at the age of 32, Hopkins is proving to be a season-shaping pickup. His best days in Kansas City figure to be ahead.

The following week, Veach and Co. swapped a sixth-round pick in the following year's draft with the New England Patriots for defensive end Joshua Uche. Just two seasons removed from an 11.5-sack campaign and still only 26 years old, Uche injects versatility and upside into a defensive line that needed it given Mike Danna's nagging injuries. His utility was already put to the test in game No. 1, as he made a big-time stop on a third down and nearly came away with a blocked punt on the ensuing play. Uche will give Steve Spagnuolo yet another explosive, dynamic pass rusher to work with.

The real elephant in the room, for Kansas City, actually turns out to be the biggest injury bug known to man. It isn't all doom and gloom, however. At the receiver spot, specifically, Hopkins could be joined by JuJu Smith-Schuster (hamstring), Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (shoulder) and Skyy Moore (core muscle) between now and the end of this Chiefs run. For Uche at defensive end, he should see Danna in the lineup soon and Charles Omenihu (ACL) at practice this month.

That's without even bringing up running back or cornerback, where Isiah Pacheco is tracking for a late-November return and Jaylen Watson seems to be leaving the door open on maybe being back to finish his third year with the Chiefs. Help, at varying timelines, is on the way. What other perceived contender has that many possibilities in terms of pseudo-additions during the most important stretch(es) of play?

The most important thing Veach didn't do was panic or mortgage the future in exchange for a short-term boost. He managed his limited assets to near-perfection, bolstered two premier position groups and set his team up to let valuable reinforcements filter back in over time. The Chiefs improved now while also having plenty of room to do so later.

After all, the only deadline they're competing with is the one in New Orleans on February 9.

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