DEAL IN ADVANCE: Chiefs Are Reportedly Pushing Hard to Sign Forgotten Texans WR After Stefon Diggs Move

The Buffalo Bills traded superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans on April 3, in the most recent NFL blockbuster. According to ESPN insider Adam Schefter, in exchange for the veteran playmaker and two late-round picks (a 2024 sixth and a 2025 fifth), the Bills acquired a 2025 second-round pick.

Needless to say, transactions of this magnitude have repercussions around the league, and one possible outcome of the Diggs trade is a secondary wide receiver transfer. Houston’s receiver corps is now seven deep, with a mix of experience and youthful skill.

Along with Diggs, you have Nico Collins, Tank Dell, Noah Brown, Robert Woods, John Metchie III, and Xavier Hutchinson. Four of the group’s pass catchers were drafted in the last three offseasons, with three going in the third round or above.

Although Collins, a 2021 third-round pick, has emerged as the room’s star, Metchie, a 2022 second-round pick, was the earliest of the selections. Thinking strategically, A-to-Z Sports Kansas City reporter Charles Goldman recommended the Chiefs to inquire about Metchie shortly after the Diggs deal was announced.

“John Metchie III was a highly productive receiver coming out of the University of Alabama,” Goldman went on to say. “In his two years before declaring for the 2022 NFL draft, Metchie had a combined 151 catches for over 2,000 yards and 14 touchdowns.”

The KC media member seemed to see the prospective “odd man out” as a buy-low WR prospect for the Chiefs in a trade.

“Kansas City could likely offer a Day 3 pick in return for Metchie, maybe even just a conditional draft pick,” Goldman said in his article. The youngster’s cap hit is just over $2.2 million in 2024. If things didn’t work out, he’d be easy to cut in 2025.

Texans wide receiver John Metchie may use a fresh start after a series of unfortunate events.
It’s unclear whether Metchie is available, but Goldman is correct in one regard: luck has not been on the former second-round pick’s side in recent years.

“His NFL career got off to a tough start for reasons he had no control over,” Goldman said. “In the SEC championship game, [Metchie] tore his ACL, which meant he wouldn’t play much as a rookie. [Then], only three months after being drafted, Metchie announced he would miss his first season due to acute promyelocytic leukemia.

Metchie did return to the field in 2023, totaling 16 catches for 158 yards during the regular season. By the time he was completely healthy, the Alabama product was already buried on the depth chart, trailing Collins, Dell, Brown, and Woods. The Diggs trade merely reinforces this truth.

Metchie will turn 24 in July, and depending on how the Rashee Rice issue plays out, the Chiefs may have a need for a wide receiver again. The 5-foot-11 prospect would face Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Justin Watson, Justyn Ross, and Nikko Remigio for a 2024 roster place, among others.

“A change of scenery might not just make sense, but it might be necessary for Metchie to recapture any of his former glory from his Crimson Tide days,” Goldman said via A-to-Z Sports, clearly pitching the Chiefs on the forgotten Texans second round pick.

Texans’ John Metchie Was Drafted 10 Slots Before Chiefs WR Skyy Moore in 2022.

Ironically, the Texans selected Metchie precisely ten selections before the Chiefs chose Moore in 2022. Tyquan Thornton, George Pickens, and Alec Pierce were also taken between the two, but Kansas City could have pursued Metchie if he stayed on the board.

“The Chiefs have shown prior interest in Metchie, having hosted him on a top-30 visit ahead of the 2022 NFL draft,” Goldman stated in his report.

Of course, that doesn’t imply KC would have selected Metchie in the selection if given the option. Pickens was another popular choice among fans and pundits for the Chiefs at the time.