The Kansas City Chiefs did an excellent job of filling some of the remaining needs on their roster during the 2023 NFL Draft. Players were selected to help out in the trenches on both sides of the ball, wide receiver and in the secondary. Overall, it was a solid showing for Kansas City.
But, a few opportunities to upgrade the roster still exist. The team could look to add another weapon or two offensively, bringing in a proven veteran to help take some more pressure off of Patrick Mahomes.
While many people will point to a pass catcher being the target, why not look to bring in another established running back to really get the ground game going? At times under Andy Reid, the Chiefs have struggled to run the ball, but they received some solid production from Isiah Pacheco, a seventh-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
He supplanted Clyde Edwards-Helaire as the team’s starter and combined with Jerick McKinnon out of the backfield. Pacheco has proven more than capable of handling the load, but bringing in another productive veteran could really put them over the top.
Who could that veteran be? None other than Dalvin Cook of the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings are still receiving calls for Cook and it feels inevitable that he will be on the move at some point. The writing was on the wall once Minnesota re-signed Alexander Mattison and gave him money guaranteed through 2025.
Kansas City was named one of the best fits for Cook, who remains productive but has a pricy contract. With a trade for DeAndre Hopkins likely not happening, the money the Chiefs have opened up could be used on Cook.
What could a trade between the Chiefs and Vikings look like? He isn’t quite on Christian McCaffrey’s level but he should net more than D’Andre Swift did during the draft last week. Kansas City could offer their 2024 fourth and seventh-round picks to Minnesota in exchange for the four-time Pro Bowler.
The Vikings would clear some more salary cap space and open up some spending money to upgrade other positions on the roster. Getting two Day 3 selections will also help them round out the team in next year’s draft.
The Chiefs get a player in Cook that is a true three-down back. He can take pressure off of Mahomes as teams will respect him a little more in the running game than they did Pacheco and McKinnon last year. Anything Kansas City can do to take attention away from Mahomes and the passing game is a win.
