Kansas City Chiefs training camp opened with a clip of wide receiver Xavier Worthy catching a deep touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes. Following the recent Chiefs news regarding the Marquise Brown injury, it appears Worthy is ready to step up.
Worthy, the 28th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is the fastest player in the NFL. The 5-foot-11 wideout set the record for the fastest 40 yard dash time at the NFL Combine this spring. However, some were more skeptical of the Chiefs’ choice of wide receivers.
- Xavier Worthy college stats ( ESPN ): 75 receptions, 1,014 receiving yards, 13.5 yards per reception, 5 touchdowns in 2023 season
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For all of his speed, Worthy struggles against physicality. He encountered plenty of issues against press coverage and some teams had real concerns about how he would fare against the size and strength of NFL players. While it’s early in Chiefs training camp, all the buzz is positive.
Appearing on SportsCenter , senior NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN said that the team feels like it landed a Porsche who is going to unlock their offense in ways opponents haven’t seen in years. He’s also been called a “revelation” inside the building.
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“This guy can fly. He took up the offense quickly, I’m told he’s been studious since the beginning. So they feel like they can throw him out there and go deep, along with Hollywood Brown, just having those two together.
Jeremy Fowler on Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy
- Xavier Worthy 40 time: 4.21 seconds
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How Xavier Worthy impacts the Kansas City Chiefs offense
After trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes started dialing back the deep passing game. With opponents putting two safeties deep more frequently and forcing Mahomes to throw underneath regularly, the Chiefs offense took what it could.
It showed last season, with Mahomes finishing 18th among qualified quarterbacks in percentage of throws 20-plus yards downfield at 10.6 percent, per Pro Football Focus . The previous year, Mahomes finished 19th in deep-throw rate (9.7 percent).
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That’s changing in 2024. While it’s unclear just how significantly the Chiefs offense will change this season, Mahomes will be throwing deep at a much higher rate. For context, Mahomes had a 12.4 percent deep-throw rate with Hill in 2020.
Even if Worthy struggles against more physical coverage in the NFL, opponents will have to respect what he brings as a vertical threat. The rookie’s ability to take the top off a defense, especially if he’s sharing the field with Brown, will make opponents have to play this Chiefs offense deep which will open up the intermediate area of the field for Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice.
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