As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up for the 2025-26 season, general manager Brett Veach is hard at work. Not only is he paring down the roster of the reigning AFC champions, but he and his staff are scouring the market to see who’s available elsewhere.
One prominent analyst from ESPN is pitching a trade idea with the preseason in the books and Week 1 of the regular season approaching.
In an August 25 story, Bill Barnwell has Kansas City reaching out to an NFC club in a swap of 2023 NFL Draft picks. It’s tackle Wanya Morris and a 2027 sixth-round pick going out, with Atlanta Falcons cornerback Clark Phillips III coming back.
Analyst’s Proposed Trade Sees Chiefs Swap Wanya Morris for Clark Phillips
Barnwell’s logic is simple. He believes that the Chiefs have ample depth along the offensive line, as evidenced by Kingsley Suamataia moving to guard and Jaylon Moore being signed at tackle.
With that in mind, Veach adds a defensive back in this scenario.
“If the Chiefs plan to play Suamataia at guard while using Moore as their swing tackle, they could justify trading Morris,” Barnwell wrote. “Doing so would land them some needed cornerback depth in Phillips, who might be on the bubble to make the 53-man roster in Atlanta. The third-year pro has been solid as a reserve corner over his first two years, though he has some concerns as a tackler. Phillips is dealing with a rib injury, but he could settle in later this season as a fourth cornerback in Kansas City.”
Phillips, a former Utah standout, has spent each of his first two seasons with Atlanta. He was picked in the fourth round, 113th overall, back in 2023. In 27 regular-season games as a member of the Falcons, he has 62 tackles (4 for loss), 10 passes broken up and a single interception. After surrendering an 88.8 passer rating in coverage as a rookie, that number rose to 107.5 last year.
Despite that, advanced stats paint a pretty picture of Phillips’ performance. Pro Football Focus, for example, graded him as their No. 19 corner in overall grade out of 222 qualified players. He also boasted healthy marks for coverage (20th) and run defense (40th).
Inconsistency has plagued Phillips in the past. He’ll count for less than $3 million combined against the cap in 2025 and 2026. He may be worth the risk.
Kansas City Can Afford to Deal From Tackle Position
The Morris era with the Chiefs certainly hasn’t been great. The former third-round pick failed to stick at left tackle or right tackle. After making four starts as a rookie, Morris made 11 last year across 14 regular-season appearances.
Suamataia opened the door for him to reclaim his spot full-time. Despite that, Morris’ blend of iffy durability and even worse tape landed him back on the bench. The Chiefs exhausted all options, including signing D.J. Humphries and even moving left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle. None of it worked, as Barnwell points out.
“There aren’t many teams willing to give up right tackles with meaningful experience at this point of the offseason,” Barnwell wrote. “One of the few exceptions might be Morris, who inherited Kansas City’s left tackle job by default when Kingsley Suamataia was benched early last season and did not perform well. The Chiefs eventually benched Morris and moved Joe Thuney over from left guard, which eventually proved to be part of their undoing in the Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.”
The signing of Moore and the first-round NFL Draft pick of Josh Simmons adds starting-caliber talent to the roster. Not only that, but Jawaan Taylor is once again back on the right side of the line. Add in a developmental prospect like Esa Pole or Ethan Driskell, and you get a viable rotation. It also leaves Morris somewhere in the middle.
Perhaps Barnwell’s idea isn’t too far-fetched.
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