Chiefs WR injuries could force Brett Veach into one painfully obvious move

The Kansas City Chiefs are ailing at wide receiver at present. Rashee Rice is suspended. Jalen Royals is on the bench with knee tendinitis. Xavier Worthy is the newest concern after leaving Week 1 with a shoulder injury.

The growing list of problems at the position is likely going to force Brett Veach's hand, as general manager, to do something. And that could lead to one of Veach's favorite moves: a Mecole Hardman reunion.

At the present time. Hardman is sitting on the Green Bay Packers practice squad. After signing a one-year deal with the team in free agency,. Hardman was cut before the regular season began and found himself accepting a role to stay in Green Bay in a support role—for now.

This feels like a moment for Brett Veach to be reliably predictable.

In Green Bay, Hardman has been crowded out by a young wide receiver room that invested heavily in the position in this year's draft. Hardman impressed in camp, but a error-filled preseason display left him on the outside looking in. But perhaps Veach might be interested in coming to his rescue.

Remember, Veach already watched Hardman leave the Chiefs before the 2023 season to sign with the New York Jets in free agency. However, K.C. brought Hardman back in a low-level trade to bolster the offense before the league's trade deadline. Instead of letting him leave again, Veach brought back the Georgia product for the 2024 season on an inexpensive one-year deal.

Hardman originally entered the NFL as a second-round choice of the Chiefs back in the 2019 NFL Draft. It's important to remember that Tyreek Hill, then the Chiefs' best wide receiver, was facing (false) child abuse allegations on the start of that spring's draft, which caused K.C. to adjust plans and draft someone who could provide a similar skill set.

Over 75 career games with the Chiefs, Hardman has 178 catches for 2,302 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns. He also has another 3 scores on the ground. It's notable for his usefulness to the Chiefs that Hardman would also be an automatic return option for Dave Toub on special teams.

Given that Hardman is intimately familiar with the Chiefs playbook and coaching staff, and given Veach's clear affinity for Hardman (and other reunions—see Kareem Hunt, Derrick Nnadi as examples), it might be the clearest way forward to poach him from the Packers. It all depends on the severity of Worthy's injury, but Veach's next move is quite predictable.