... and show them to be having a disastrous time trying to get their superweapon working?
It would probably be pretty daft as it would still make Palpatine look like something of a chump for hiring them in the first place. However it could help bring Rogue One into continuity canon - at least from the prequel perspective.
I have to admit, I'm personally confused about the "Death Star creator" thingy as it is, because it was never mentioned in the OT, BUT the EU has some human guy who designed the Death Star, PT has the Geonosians, and Rogue One has Galen Erso designing the Death Star!! So which is it??
And I'm actually wondering if it was STILL Galen Erso who designed it back in the PT, but was never mentioned, not even by Count Dooku, and the Geonosians simply helped BUILD it. Of course, the guy in the EU has all but been forgotten because the EU is not exactly canon nor official.
Interesting. Sounds like they used the EU idea to an extent with Rogue One and ignored the PT.
But I'm taking it that the EU story was written before the prequels (?) and therefore George Lucas effectively decanoned it himself long before Disney came along.
Still, this show is going to feature prequel Vader so fitting in the Geonosians having some troubles and the Rogue One dude being brought in could fix that particular plot hole.