I am certainly one of those worried about the WR room, and to me, it is as much about optimizing Marvin Harrison as it is about adding another weapon. I think it is necessary to add more speed to stretch the field and create more space for the others. They must try to maximize Harrison.
Because of this, I have played with a few trade ideas, which could be completely crazy, but none the less here they are. I have only included well-known players, since I agree that if they do anything at WR it will be for a clearcut #2 option.
The Packers drafted two WR high in Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, and even though Williams is kind of a hybrid runningback, it does create a crowded unit. Jayden Reed might be the perfect wide receiver for what the Cardinals need, but I highly doubt they can get him. Christian Watson might be another case, and he is both what they need and a very good fit for the offense. Now, he is actually injured right now (exploded knee), so it might seem stupid to pay anything for him, but I think you can make the argument that with how technology has advanced, players pretty routinely come back from ACL’s nowadays, and even if he misses the first few weeks of the regular season, he could be a massive reinforcement in the home stretch. Also, they could obviously still have him for several years going forward. For different reasons (Packers’ depth, Watson’s injury, 2025 is a contract year), I could see the opportunity of buying low and potentially get a big gain in return. I would pay a conditional fourth that could turn into a third.
Alec Pierce had a breakout season with the Colts in 2024 as their main deep threat. However, he was not impressive the two seasons before that, and like the Packers, the Colts have good depth in the WR room. After this season they will have to pay Pierce if they want to keep him, so this might be the time to give the Colts a call. I would pay a third-round pick for Pierce.
Jameson Williams might seem like a far-out idea but allow me to explain myself. 1. Before the draft, Albert Breer reported that Williams might be traded during it. That obviously didn’t happen, but maybe they are still inclined to do it. 2. Since he was drafted #16 overall in 2022, he has played well, but certainly not spectacular. 3. He is going into a contract year, and in the near future the Lions have to hand out monster contracts to an army of players. Do they want to spend a lot on Williams? 4. The Lions were very aggressive in drafting a WR this year (paid two fourth rounders to move up 32 spots in the third round to get him). 5. He lives up to Ossenfort’s primary criteria of having played for Ohio State. I would pay a conditional third round-pick - that could turn into a second - for Williams.
I want to include Christian Kirk as a dark horse-option. He has just been traded, so I doubt he is leaving Houston already, but they did draft two WR’s fairly high, and they paid a seventh-round pick for Kirk, so they are not exactly heavily invested in him. He had a very good connection with Murray, so I think it is at least worth a phone call from Ossenfort to the Texans. Some late round pick swaps should probably do it.
