Andy Reid: Veteran WR, Travis Kelce 'do similar things' in Chiefs' offense

The injuries to wide receivers ‘Hollywood’ Brown and Rashee Rice have forced immediate adjustments for the Kansas City Chiefs offense. Shifting roles, with rookies like Xavier Worthy playing more prominent roles at this point in the season, is essential in making another run to a Super Bowl.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media on Wednesday and addressed the role of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster moving forward.

“The guy opposite [Travis] Kelce, [it] ends up being very important that they know how to play the game and can kind of do similar things that Kelce can do,” Reid explained. “If you can get that, you’ve got something going offensively that way.”

Smith-Schuster is more than familiar with the role after his successful season in Kansas City in 2022. He showed his value already in his second tenure with a highlight reel-worthy game in Week 5, finishing with seven catches for 130 yards.

“So he (Smith-Schuster) did that before, (Byron) Pringle did that beforehand. We’ve had guys in those spots that could do that,” Reid said. “So that’s a positive thing. Anyways, JuJu (Smith-Schuster) is good with it, and there are similar things. They’re doing similar things.”

Rice thrived in this role last season and at the beginning of this year before his injury. Smith-Schuster’s experience and skill set make him a valuable veteran in the wide receivers room.