Chiefs get mostly good grades from NFL national writers for Trent McDuffie trade
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Writers praise Chiefs for gaining draft capital to address salary‑cap strain.
- Analysts note trade lets Chiefs reload via multiple top‑40 picks for youth.
- Some analysts warn loss of elite corner weakens defense despite future value.
When an NFL season ends, the players go their own way knowing there are teammates they’ll never play with again.
There is constant turnover on NFL rosters, and we’ve seen that with the Chiefs this offseason, as they cut offensive lineman Jawaan Taylor and agreed to trade cornerback Trent McDuffie to the Rams.
The latter was the big story Wednesday among NFL media members. What did they have to say about the deal? Here are the grades the Chiefs received from national NFL writers following the trade.
The Chiefs received a B-plus from Fox Sports’ Eric Williams.
Here is a snippet from his story: “While the trade immediately improves L.A.’s secondary, the cash-strapped Chiefs benefit from securing more draft capital, which should allow general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid to acquire a handful of young players to improve the team offensively once franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes returns from his ACL tear.”
It was a B grade for the Chiefs from Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab.
This is part of what he wrote: “It had to hurt to give up an elite player in his prime, but that’s life in a salary-cap league.
“The Chiefs did get some valuable picks back. While a late 2026 first-round pick doesn’t have as much juice as it might in other years, it’s still a first-round pick. They have two now, with the Rams’ pick to go with their own pick, which is ninth overall. The 2027 third-round pick has plenty of value if that draft class is as good as NFL teams believe it will be.”
The Chiefs got an A-minus from the Athletic’s Jeff Howe.
This is from his story: “The trade is a good value for McDuffie. ... Now, the Chiefs have the Nos. 9 and 29 picks of the draft, so they can even move up the board for an impact player if they choose. After a rare down season, the Chiefs have a chance to reload with high-quality young players — that is a scary thought for their competition.”
The Chiefs got a B-plus from CBS Sports’ John Breech.
Here is an excerpt from his story: “You never want to trade away a top cornerback, but in this situation, the deal actually makes a ton of sense for the Chiefs. This is a team that’s getting old and has a lot of holes on its roster and the quickest (and cheapest) way to fill those holes is by acquiring as many draft picks as possible. If the Chiefs had kept McDuffie, they would have likely had to pay him somewhere around $30 million on a long-term deal, but instead, they’ll be able to use that money to fill other holes on their roster.”
It also was a B-plus from the Sporting News’ Daniel Chavkin.
This is part of what he wrote: “Kansas City now has three picks in the top 40, allowing the Chiefs to acquire cheap, young talent to help reshape the roster. While McDuffie was an incredible Chiefs player for four years, but Kansas City’s bloated cap sheet makes a McDuffie extension less palatable.
“Therefore, the Chiefs can now focus on building through the draft as a way to retool the team. In 2022, after Kansas City trade Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in a similar situation, the team drafted McDuffie with one of its two first-round picks, so the Chiefs will look to replicate the success.”
The worst grade of the bunch came from SB Nation’s James Dator, who handed the Chiefs a C.
He wrote in part: “No point in sugarcoating it: The Chiefs got much, much worse as a result of this. The trade compensation isn’t terrible, but it’s not amazing either for a Pro Bowl corner. The first round pick coming at No. 29 means they won’t get someone who can contribute immediately, and not getting another early round pick until 2027 hurts — especially if this deal means the Rams are back picking at the end of the round once more.”
The Chiefs received an A-minus from USA Today’s Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz.
This is a passage from his story: “If McDuffie wasn’t in Kansas City’s long-term plans, offloading him before he reaches free agency might simply have been good business. Not only do the Chiefs not have to worry about fitting him into a cap-crunched roster this year and beyond, they can now focus on re-signing fellow cornerback Jaylen Watson, who ranked 13th on Nate Davis’ top 100 free agent rankings and likely would not have been able to return without the secondary’s sea change.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM.
