Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers were the topic of many unwanted discussions in 2023, plagued by drops and inconsistent play throughout the year. This offseason, the unflattering attention followed Rashee Rice off the field, putting the future of last year’s No. 1 wide receiver in question. Even after restructuring the group with the additions of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and rookie Xavier Worthy, the Chiefs have plenty of questions for their pass-catchers to answer.
Where will Kansas City find stability among their wide receivers, and who needs to step up in 2024?
Joshua Brisco: Let’s start at the top and work down the depth chart. I’m still expecting Rice to be suspended for the start of the 2024 season, but as his legal process seemingly slows to a crawl, there’s at least a chance the NFL takes a back seat to the legal system and Rice isn’t sidelined until 2025. That’s a tenuous place to put Rice and the Chiefs, but when NFL discipline is up for discussion, anything is on the table. Either way (but especially if Rice does miss part of the ’24 season), I’m buying Brown’s stock as KC’s WR1. He’s a perfect fit in Andy Reid’s offense, and Patrick Mahomes should be set to maximize Brown’s skill set for one of the league’s most symbiotic relationships. I’m certainly not big-picture worried about Worthy’s offseason hamstring tweak, but with Reid’s offense as a notoriously complex system for young pass-catchers to be comfortable in, I think we could see a quiet start to the year from Worthy before he becomes a truly consistent weapon down the road.
Jordan Foote: “Anything is on the table” is exactly how I’m handling the Rice situation. If he’s on the field to start the regular season, that’s a massive boost for the Chiefs. If not, we’ll quickly find out what everyone else is made of. Agreed on Brown – he has a perfect blend of athleticism and route-running chops mixed with what the Chiefs like on offense. Worthy could benefit from Rice missing time but either way, I’m not sure he’ll hit the ground running like some (unrealistically) expect. Heck, Rice averaged less than four receptions and 41 yards per game in Weeks 1-6 of last season.
Behind those three, and maybe with Worthy in the same boat as this player, is Justin Watson your shoo-in WR4? The team and quarterback trust him a ton. Additionally, he can fill some alignment-specific snaps that may not be best used for someone like Brown or Worthy. It seems that the top four, in some order, is solidified and then everything else is up for interpretation. Who are your fifth and sixth wideouts? Does KC carry seven to start the year?
Brisco: Watson might be my shoo-in WR3 early in the year! To your point, Reid trusts Watson to be on the field and execute his job in the offense, Mahomes seems content to give him a few targets per game, and Watson played 51% of the offensive snaps last year. Even with a revamped wide receiver room, I could see Watson getting a large portion of Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s 2023 reps.
For the rest of the group, I think they’ll keep six receivers on the active roster, which could functionally lead to KC keeping seven if Rice is suspended, as he wouldn’t apply to the 53-man roster. With Brown, Worthy, Rice and Watson as the top four, I think there’s a genuine battle for the remaining two or three roster spots. My pre-camp hunch is that Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman, Kadarius Toney and Nikko Remigio are in serious contention for the final spots, and I’d rank their roster likelihood in that order, but it’s extremely close. With an honorable mention to Justyn Ross, I believe anyone from that group could catch passes in Week 1 or could be watching NFL action from home when the season begins. Staying healthy and performing well throughout training camp will be important to anyone in that final group.
Foote: Something tells me that even if it isn’t necessarily warranted, Moore will be given another shot this year. In my head, it’s a three-way battle between Hardman, Toney and Remigio for a spot that Ross simply may not have a real shot for on the 53. The Remigio hype train isn’t slowing down, but considering how the Chiefs operate, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see Hardman latch (back) on as one of the final guys. That leaves Toney potentially needing a good training camp and preseason to make an impression either on the Chiefs or another squad. Having the first four spots handled is a good place to be in, considering how last year went.
Read More: 2024 Chiefs Re-Draft Provides Valuable Exercise in What Not to Care About
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Publish date : 2024-07-11 09:00:01
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