Two things feel fairly obvious for the Kansas City Chiefs: 1.) a trade is coming before the NFL's trade deadline, and 2.) that trade won't be announced until the NFL's trade deadline.
As an obvious Super Bowl contender, it makes sense that the Chiefs are buyers at the deadline, once again. Previous years have featured splashes at edge rusher (Melvin Ingram, Joshua Uche) and wide receiver (DeAndre Hopkins), and this year, the Chiefs are reportedly searching for help at defensive tackle and perhaps running back as well.
Plenty of speculation can already be found about who the Chiefs might be chasing. Plenty of defensive tackles make sense—from Sebastian Joseph-Day to Jaelan Phillips—and running back targets are a popular talking point as well—from Breece Hall to Jerome Ford.
The Chiefs were always going to wait until the NFL's trade deadline for multiple reasons.
While the position addressed and player added have yet to be unveiled, what we can know is that something isn't going to happen until just before the final bell on Tuesday, November 4 at 4:00 p.m. League Office Time. That's the most sensible moment for the Chiefs at this juncture.
For the Chiefs, there are too many variables in play at potential positions. Defensive tackle can look thin at times, and Omarr Norman-Lott's injury really hurts the season-long plan here. But how does Mike Pennel look when back in red and gold? That could change the feeling of urgency (and to what lengths general manager Brett Veach is willing to go to "fix" things).
The Chiefs have also reportedly been in the mix for edge rushers, which makes sense given the lack of disruption by anyone other than Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. The loss of Felix Anudike-Uzomah took another rotational player out of the rotation before the season even began, and the results from Charles Omenihu haven't been all that exciting. There's room for another pass rusher, but why act on it if you can go one more game (versus the Bills) for the sake of potential injury and/or development?
As for running back, the Chiefs are worried about Isiah Pacheco's sprained MCL, but Week 9 is a chance to see what the in-house options of Elijah Mitchell and (more of) Brashard Smith can do before deciding to part with a draft asset for external help.
Back to the subject of injuries. Each week brings new challenges here for the team, and unless the Chiefs are quite lucky, it's likely that someone will be hurting after the team's road trip to Orchard Park. Waiting until the game is played on Sunday afternoon allows the front office to adapt at the last second instead of punching the ticket on an early trade only to find themselves with a greater need elsewhere.
Essentially, a trade is undoubtedly forthcoming for Veach and the Chiefs. There's been smoke about acquisitions before the year even began, especially along the defensive interior. But the Chiefs are also good enough (and patient enough) to wait things out. They can win games while searching for answers and sorting out needs. This sort of slow rolls allows for proper evaluation in a game where variables are always the concern.