How Hollywood Brown Injury Impacts KC Chiefs WRs — JuJu Smith-Schuster Reunion?

Following Marquise “Hollywood” Brown’s sternoclavicular injury suffered on the first play of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ first preseason game of 2024, the team’s projected No. 1 wide receiver is going to “miss some time,” according to head coach Andy Reid. How does Brown’s injury impact the Chiefs’ crowded wide receiver room, and could it lead to the return of a familiar face?

Let’s start with the roster-space issue that Brown’s injury exacerbates. In addition to Brown, it seems that the other locked-in wide receivers are Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy and Justin Watson. There’s still a chance Rice is suspended by the league, but as the regular season approaches, it seems increasingly plausible that Rice may not face league discipline until he goes through the legal process. Meanwhile, there isn’t much the Chiefs can do with Brown’s roster spot while he recovers, assuming he misses at least Week 1. Even if Brown were to be placed on the injured reserve list, which currently seems unlikely due to the fact he would be sidelined for the first four weeks of the season, he would still have to be on the team’s initial active 53-man roster. Barring a suspension for Rice, that makes four finalized wide receiver roster spots, with six or maybe seven total WR spots available.

What does all that mean for the Chiefs’ receivers? I think it helps secure the roster spot of one current Chief and makes a potential reunion with another a bit more enticing.

For the current member of the roster: Mecole Hardman may have his spot locked up. Hardman is entering his sixth year with the Chiefs (after starting last season with the New York Jets) and re-signed with KC late this offseason. In some ways, the now-veteran Hardman felt like Rice and Worthy insurance, providing KC with a player who can do a variety of useful things in Andy Reid’s offense while the rookie got up to speed and if the second-year player was suspended. While Worthy has looked explosive in training camp and Rice may dodge his suspension in 2024, Hardman’s insurance policy can now extend to Brown.

At this point in his career, Hardman’s ceiling is less exciting than it was in his early years — he’s a known quantity. In some circumstances, that could sound like a negative. For the Chiefs, Hardman’s certainty sets him apart from Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Justyn Ross. Injuries and/or quality of play have made that enticing trio difficult to rely on. Hardman, for his flaws, provides some stability.

On August 9, the New England Patriots released JuJu Smith-Schuster. Even before Brown’s injury, Smith-Schuster’s potential chance to return to Kansas City was worth discussing. What about now?

Smith-Schuster’s brief Chiefs tenure, en route to a Super Bowl victory, seems to slip through the cracks of KC’s recent success stories. Travis Kelce led the Chiefs in receiving yards in 2022, but Smith-Schuster was wide receiver No. 1 by a healthy margin, going for 933 regular-season receiving yards and breaking 1,000 including the postseason. That campaign set Smith-Schuster up for a strong contract from the Patriots before his time in New England was derailed by injuries that have tampered with much of his career.

While Smith-Schuster’s underwhelming 11 games, seven starts and 260 yards in New England certainly bring cause for concern, do you remember what Smith-Schuster did in 2021 before signing with the Chiefs in ’22? He played just five regular-season games before suffering a shoulder injury in Week 5. That’s unquestionably different than nagging knee issues that appear to have diminished Smith-Schuster as a player, but it’s a worthwhile reminder that the Chiefs were willing to bet on previous years of Smith-Schuster while they were able to get him for a value. Now, with a minimal contract likely getting a potential deal done, that’s a low-risk gamble that could be worth taking.

If the Chiefs do call Smith-Schuster, it would come at the expense of a roster spot for Moore, Toney, Ross or Nikko Remigio. As the group currently stands, only one or possibly two of that duo would make the active squad. Ultimately, the Chiefs may be content with their in-house answers and Smith-Schuster may be hoping to sign with a team where he could see more playing time than he’d likely get in KC, but if both sides are interested in a reunion, he could provide some more stability to the group both before and after Brown returns.

Right now, I’d narrowly bet on the Chiefs sticking with their younger group and trusting Hardman and Watson to step up in Brown’s potentially brief absence. However, if Rice does get news from the league while Smith-Schuster is still available, I’d make that call in a heartbeat.

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