A full timeline of the Kansas City Chiefs' midseason acquisitions in 2024
There's only one undefeated team left in the NFL after Week 8. That team, the Kansas City Chiefs, is seeking a third straight Super Bowl title and has been one of the NFL's most active teams ahead of the NFL trade deadline.
On Monday, the Chiefs traded for Joshua Uche, an edge rusher from the New England Patriots, to bolster their defense. It's the first big move Kansas City has made on that side of the ball after four earlier acquisitions to help out its offense.
With the NFL trade deadline on Tuesday, it's the perfect time to explore all of the midseason acquisitions for one of the league's most active teams. Here's who the Chiefs have acquired since the preseason ended in late August:
Kansas City Chiefs trade deadline moves
The Chiefs have made five acquisitions since preseason play ended for players that either already have contributed or are expected to be significant contributors to the team's success. Four of those players are on the offensive side of the ball and two of the four came over in a midseason trade.
Here are the major players Kansas City has acquired since the preseason ended and how they were acquired:
- JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR – Aug. 26: The Chiefs signed Smith-Schuster to their active roster on a one-year deal after the Patriots released him. The receiver was just heading into the second year of a three-year deal with New England before the team decided to part ways. Now, he's reunited with the team he won a Super Bowl with in 2022.
- Samaje Perine, RB – Aug. 30: Like Smith-Schuster, Perine was a cast-off from his previous team. After the Denver Broncos released him on Aug. 27, the Chiefs signed him to a one-year deal. He has played in all seven games for Kansas City so far this season.
- Kareem Hunt, RB – Sept. 18: For a second straight year, Hunt joined a team in need of a running back after an injury to its starter. Last year, the 2017 rushing title winner set a career high with nine rushing touchdowns on the Cleveland Browns, who signed him in late September. This year, the Chiefs brought back the running back for a second stint after Isiah Pacheco suffered an injury in Week 2.
- DeAndre Hopkins, WR – Oct. 24: Kansas City's first big trade deadline move was acquiring a wide receiver before the midseason cutoff for the third straight year (Kadarius Toney, 2022; Mecole Hardman, 2023). About one week ago, the Chiefs traded a conditional fifth-round pick to the Tennessee Titans for the wideout.
- Joshua Uche, LB – Oct. 28: The Chiefs, who already allow the fifth-fewest yards per game (295) and fifth-fewest points per game (17.6) added depth to their pass-rush attack. Uche joins a unit that had five sacks from five different players in Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders but ranked in the bottom-eight in total sacks this year.
JuJu Smith-Schuster stats
In 2024, Smith-Schuster has caught nine of his 12 targets for 147 yards and one touchdown. Of that yardage total, 130 yards came in a Week 5 game against the New Orleans Saints. He was inactive for Week 8 with a hamstring injury but has played in all six other games this year.
Samaje Perine stats
Perine has largely filled his usual role as a third-down back for the Chiefs this year. He has rushed 13 times for 45 yards and a touchdown and has nine receptions on 12 targets for 104 receiving yards.
Kareem Hunt stats
Hunt immediately stepped into the role of the Chiefs' lead running back after he was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster before Week 4. Since then, he has rushed 84 times for 308 yards (3.7 average yards per carry) and four touchdowns. He also has caught six passes for 40 yards.
DeAndre Hopkins stats
The former Titan is the most recent midseason acquisition to have already played in a game for the Chiefs. In his debut for Kansas City, Hopkins played 23 snaps, catching two of his three targets for 29 yards. On the season, Hopkins has 17 catches for 202 yards and one touchdown.
Joshua Uche stats
Uche had one start in seven games for the Patriots so far this year and played 35% of New England's defensive snaps. He has two sacks and 13 total tackles this year, all with his former team. Uche's two sacks would be tied for fourth among Chiefs defenders with defensive tackle Mike Pennel Jr. His 13 total tackles would rank ninth and ahead of every Kansas City defensive lineman.