Grading a Chiefs-Saints trade that will make CEH an afterthought

The Kansas City Chiefs' regular season offensive woes were swiftly forgotten in the playoffs, as Patrick Mahomes led his ragtag WR room to a second straight Super Bowl victory. Now, the Chiefs are faced with more question marks on the playmaking front.

Hollywood Brown was brought in to elevate the WR corps, but now Kansas City faces the potential absence of rookie breakout Rashee Rice. Meanwhile, at RB, concern persists despite the re-signing of Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who managed only 411 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns as the Chiefs' change-of-pace RB in 2023.

Last season was a major step back for CEH. His yards per carry plummeted to a concerning career low (3.2), and while his receiving output was solid (11.1 yards per catch), his level of involvement decreased. Some of his decline is simply role-based, with Isiah Pacheco emerging as Kansas City's undisputed RB1, but others could be sourced from past injuries.

While the Chiefs are probably content with the same old routine in the backfield, an upgrade at RB could remove some of the pressure on Mahomes' shoulders. That's not to say Mahomes can't handle the pressure — again, back-to-back Super Bowl MVP — but it's always nice to help your superstar QB out as much as possible.

A new trade proposal from Bleacher Report's Alex Kay has the Chiefs making a big splash, acquiring Alvin Kamara from the New Orleans Saints.

NFL trade grades: Chiefs land Alvin Kamara from Saints in hypothetical blockbuster

The Chiefs' offense was never very impressive on the ground last season, averaging 104.9 rushing yards per game. That ranked 18th in the NFL, the epitome of good not great. With questions about the pass-catching corps, Kansas City would benefit from a more explosive run game. Kamara can provide that, and then some.

This would be a great opportunity for Kamara, who enters his age-28 season without a Super Bowl or much assurance of his place in New Orleans beyond 2025. Kamara carries a cap hit of $18.5 million, which is a lot for his position — and especially a lot for the Chiefs, who are in a tight bind financially. Still, the talent and resumé is beyond reproach, and Kamara would address a need for Kansas City.

With Jerrick McKinnon no longer in the mix, the Chiefs are without their best pass-catching RB. In addition to spicing up the run game, Kamara can support Mahomes as one of the NFL's leading receivers at the RB position. Kamara is an evasive, often explosive threat on intermediate routes, giving Mahomes another steady set of hands when his WRs don't present great options downfield.

That said, a second-round pick is a lot to sacrifice for any RB, much less an expensive RB on the older end of the spectrum. Kamara averaged a career-low 3.9 yards per carry last season. He managed 1,160 yards from scrimmage — impressive, but still the worst number of his career in only 13 games played. Durability is a major concern with Kamara moving forward.

Kansas City doesn't have a ton of flexibility in terms of cap space, which elevates the importance and the value of quality draft picks. Kansas City can almost definitely find a productive RB in this month's NFL Draft — maybe even in the second round if the front office feels bold enough. There is little incentive, beyond name recognition, to pay a premium price for the Saints' aging star. Rookies come with long-term team control and affordable contracts. Kamara does not.

So, while the Saints probably leap at the opportunity to shed Kamara's contract and net a second-round pick, the Chiefs simply won't provide them with such an opportunity. Kansas City would benefit from Kamara's presence, without a doubt, but he's not reliable enough to justify such a significant outgoing trade package.

Chiefs grade: D+
Saints grade: A