DeAndre Hopkins trade looks even better for Chiefs after rival's WR whiff

Even without the benefit of hindsight, it was easy to get on board with the Kansas City Chiefs' decision to acquire DeAndre Hopkins from the Tennessee Titans. Injuries had created a clear need at the wide receiver position for the two-time defending Super Bowl champs, Hopkins figured to have at least something left in the tank at age 32 and a fifth-round pick was hardly a prohibitive price tag. Addressing an area of weakness with a solid, proven player at minimal cost is good business 10 times out of 10.

Of course, it also helps that pretty much everything that's unfolded in the weeks since has just validated the move more and more. Hopkins wasn't too much of a factor in his Chiefs debut against the Las Vegas Raiders, but he balled out on Monday night, dropping 86 yards and two touchdowns — including one preposterous circus grab — in an overtime win over the Tampa Bay Bucs. It's still early, obviously, but so far Hopkins looks exactly like the true X receiver this Kansas City offense desperately needed. And while the Chiefs were busy finding the perfect fit, their ostensible AFC rivals have been ... less successful ahead of the NFL trade deadline.

Steelers' Mike Williams trade makes DeAndre Hopkins deal look even better in hindsight

After the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens made deals for Amari Cooper and Diontae Johnson, respectively, that left just one AFC contender in the market for a wide receiver: the Pittsburgh Steelers, who didn't have a whole lot on their depth chart behind the mercurial George Pickens. Pittsburgh did manage to find a deal for a wideout on Tuesday afternoon. Whether it actually helps, however, is another matter entirely.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Steelers landed Mike Williams from the New York Jets. It's a curious trade on its face, considering that Williams was never able to make much of a mark on a Jets team so desperate for receiver help that it went out and acquired Davante Adams in a desperate attempt to save its season. But even more curious is the price tag: Schefter reports that Pittsburgh is sending a fifth-round pick back to New York — otherwise known as exactly what the Chiefs gave up to get Hopkins.

Making a trade for Williams is defensible enough in a vacuum. Pittsburgh needed more viable bodies on the outside, and for whatever his faults this season, Williams is at least that. Plus, there's always the chance that he can tap back into more of the first-round promise he showed before injuries derailed his career.

Doing it at this price, however, is just straight-up malpractice from Steelers GM Omar Khan. Everyone and their mother knew that the Jets were desperate to unload Williams, who's fallen to the fringes of the team's receiver rotation. And there couldn't have been too much of a bidding war for a player who's registered all of 12 catches so far this season. It's unclear who exactly Khan thought he had to fend off for Williams' services, or why he felt it necessary to pay this price given the other receiver trades we've seen of late. (This is also more than the Ravens paid to get Johnson from the Carolina Panthers, despite the fact that Johnson is a better player at this point.)

Maybe Williams will find his footing and take off in Pittsburgh, proving to be an ideal fit for Russell Wilson's moonballs down the sideline. Barring some sort of drastic and unforeseen change, however, it sure seems like the Chiefs have once again played chess while their rivals are playing checkers.