3 Hollywood Brown replacements Chiefs can sign in free agency with season in jeopardy

Things are unraveling quickly for new Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and his health. After a shoulder injury in the preseason, it seemed as if the former Raven would miss Week 1 but not much more. However, Brown then suffered a setback that forced the Chiefs to put him on IR, missing at least until Week 6. That now appears to be out of the cards too, though, as a report on Saturday stated that Kansas City could be without the speedy pass-catcher for the entire 2024 regular season.

Losing Brown for the entirety of the regular season, even with the possibility of returning for the playoffs, is a monstrous blow for the Chiefs. Yes, they signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and have rookie first-round pick Xavier Worthy to complement Rashee Rice, among others. But Kansas City was banking on the experience and big-play ability of Brown to create a more explosive offense.

In all likelihood, this latest injury update for Brown will elevate Worthy into a larger role sooner than expected. It also likely means that the Chiefs will need to scour the market for more depth at wide receiver. Lucky for them, three free agents would all make a ton of sense for Kansas City if they signed them.

3. Russell Gage might make perfect sense for the Chiefs

Russell Gage didn't play in the 2023 season, which would've been his sixth in the NFL, after suffering a torn patellar tendon in training camp with the Buccaneers, who he spent the 2022 campaign with. But he did sign with the Baltimore Ravens this offseason, only to fail to make it through final roster cuts in Lamar Jackson's offense.

But Gage has been the embodiment of a solid secondary or third option at receiver throughout his career when healthy since the Atlanta Falcons drafted him out of LSU in 2018. He had four straight years with 49 or more receptions from 2019-22 and notched more than 400 yards in each of those years, including 770 or more in each of his final two seasons with the Falcons in 2020 and 2021.

While health obviously is a concern given the injury he's coming back from, the Chiefs wouldn't be looking at Gage to step into an elevated role but, rather, be an option outside of Rice, Worthy and Smith-Schuster who can be a bit more reliable than we've seen the likes of Mecole Hardman and Skyy Moore be in their careers.

2. Hunter Renfrow could slot right into the Chiefs offense

It's well worth asking what happened to Hunter Renfrow and why he's not on an NFL roster at this point. Because based on the last time we saw him with the Las Vegas Raiders, it was like he had been forgotten about in Josh McDaniels' offense and then ultimately fell off the face of the earth after Vegas let him walk.

However, the Chiefs are familiar with their former rival and know the type of success he had immediately in his career. From 2019-21, Renfrow had at least 600 receiving yards in every season with 49 or more catches, including a monstrous 2021 campaign when he hauled in 103 catches for 1,038 yards and nine scores. And that makes it all the more surprising that he combined for just 61 catches and 585 yards over the next two seasons combined.

While Kansas City would certainly need to check on Renfrow's health to see if there is anything there that has scared other teams away to this point, the track record of the slot weapon is hard to ignore and he could add a dynamic underneath and intermediate element to this already potent offense.

1. Michael Thomas' best chance at a career revival is with the Chiefs

It's fair to say that the best days of Michael Thomas are well behind him. Now 31 years old, the two-time All-Pro receiver has played just 20 combined games over the past four seasons. Even worse, he has just 95 receptions and 1,057 yards with four touchdowns over that span during which injuries have absolutely derailed his career.

This isn't just a no-name player who is about to fade into oblivion, though. Thomas was the 2019 Offensive Player of the Year and one of the most dominant weapons in passing attacks throughout the NFL. He might have lost a step, especially with many of his injuries dealing with his lower body, but there could still be some of that elite route-running and ability in the tank.

At the very least, that's an idea that is worth exploring for the Chiefs in the wake of Brown's injury. Maybe it's not worth it, or maybe even a signing doesn't work out. But the chance that it does when pairing him with Patrick Mahomes is entirely too enticing of a notion to completely ignore when Kansas City is now down their No. 1 receiver for the year.