Last year, the Kingdom was excited about a group of young but unproven talent at wide receiver that seemed so talented in number that the team carried seven into the regular season—more than any other summer under Andy Reid’s leadership. Between a lack of chemistry and trust due to mental errors and dropped passes, the entire room seemed intent on letting down the offense.

Hollywood Brown feels like he could become an integral part of the offense for the Chiefs—for more than just 2024.

Heading into a new year, the only reliable component out of the entire room for a new year was/is Rashee Rice, who should be expected to handle a significant portion of the team’s targets in year two after such an impressive rookie season. Beyond Rice, however, everyone else is a roll of the dice—from Kadarius Toney to Skyy Moore to Justyn Ross.

The addition of Brown in free agency gives the team a reliable target who can stretch defenses while remaining effective at all levels. Given the presence of Rice and tight end Travis Kelce, the Chiefs can relax a bit knowing an effective trio is in place to lead an impressive array of pass catchers for Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs, of course, are not expected to stop with the addition of Brown. Most draft analysts have the Chiefs taking a wideout early—Keon Coleman? Xavier Worthy?—so the roster should be much stronger at the position than last year. And perhaps the selection of more youth makes Brown’s one-year deal an effective stopgap and nothing more. However, the potential for more is there and we saw it with Drue Tranquill a year ago.

Last spring, the Chiefs signed Drue Tranquill to a one-year deal worth $3 million on a low-risk play that helped round out the team’s linebacking corps. The results were astounding as the extra depth and Tranquill’s skill set in particular helped the Chiefs not only weather serious injuries to Nick Bolton but also provided new wrinkles to Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

The championship rings speak for themselves as to the importance of that defense.

This offseason, the Chiefs decided they couldn’t live without Tranquill and signed him to a new three-year deal worth up to $19M before free agency began. Over the course of the season, the value of Tranquill to what the Chiefs want to do became so apparent that he grew into far more than just a short-term bolstering for another Super Bowl run. By season’s end, coaches would speak of Tranquill as an integral piece to the team’s long-term success.

Back to Brown for a second. The Chiefs signed him on the cheap as well for a single season, but the truth is that his top speed, athletic profile, versatility, and route combinations are exactly what the Chiefs’ offense needs. Do you remember the uptick in dynamism when Sammy Watkins was healthy and offering Mahomes another weapon alongside Kelce and Tyreek Hill? Brown is going to provide something similar for Rice and Kelce this time around.

Brown comes with questions about his ceiling, and there have been some injury concerns in the past. But he’s never come close to playing in an offense like the Chiefs’ with a quarterback like Mahomes. In response, the Chiefs might discover that Brown was an even better fit than anyone could have predicted.

If so, we may find Brown moving from the short-term to the long-term plans of the Kansas City Chiefs.