With Rice and Thornton Out, Which WR Is Worthy to Step Up for KC?
3 repliesWith Rashee Rice officially ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers because of his hamstring woes and Tyquan Thornton sidelined long-term due to his ankle injury, fans are looking at this matchup at Arrowhead Stadium with a shared wonder about who will be the next man up for the Kansas City Chiefs at wide receiver.
The main hang-up for many fanatics is that Andy Reid tends to rely on old habits and is oftentimes stubborn to change, meaning supporters and critics alike often anticipate the coaching staff will lean back on trusted veteran options and recycled former Chiefs that know the system rather than turning to younger players with potential.
Even with the actuality and reality of Justin Watson recently added to the practice squad (and not the active roster), fans remember past stretches involving players like Mecole Hardman, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. This leaves many hoping for a different approach—with trading for a legitimate weapon being debated constantly on the Internet, or wondering when Tyreek Hill will be brought back to the red and gold. It’s an endless argument with no real winners or losers, because the team simply doesn’t listen to outside noise about the roster.
It is worth noting that the Chiefs have actually shifted away from heavy RPO reliance this year, leaning much more into under-center looks while featuring Kenneth Walker III prominently in the backfield and he has been on an incredible RUN.
That shift sets up an interesting dynamic as the offense adjusts to life without Rice and Thornton.
Xavier Worthy is expected to step directly into a larger role filling the void left by Tyquan Thornton, giving the coaching staff a chance to prove why they believe so strongly in his dynamic skill set—even if his actual on-field production has left a lot to be desired since his rookie season (though he did flash against the Raiders).
Beyond Worthy, the roster features young talents who offer distinct ways to complement Walker’s impactful running game. Jalen Royals steps in as a natural, similar-size replacement for what Rice offers underneath and across the middle, with unproven hands and questionable route savvy.
Meanwhile, Cyrus Allen is potentially great at getting separation, reminding some fans of the old Tyreek Hill days only in the quick way he gets off the line with purpose and snatches the football without losing a step. Of course, nobody matches that kind of legendary Cheetah speed, and Allen is completely unproven.
Andrew Armstrong is already a fan favorite and functions as a true big possession receiver target who can potentially move the chains and block downfield. It’s easy to imagine Armstrong succeeding in this offense because a weapon of his abilities is something Chiefs fans crave (Armstrong remains on the practice squad, but his presence highlights the depth available).
The Chargers come into Arrowhead sitting at 0-5, but they still boast a notoriously strong run defense even amidst all the injuries and personnel losses they have accumulated. Breaking through that front will require Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, and Kenneth Walker III to execute at a high level, but the real test is whether Andy Reid will translate his praise of the younger group in press conferences and interviews into actual game-plan designed snaps on Sundays.
Fans want to see the coaching staff take a bold step, get the younger players heavily involved alongside Mahomes, K9 and Kelce, and build a new dimension for the offense as the season unfolds. Sunday against Los Angeles could finally be the moment where that potential turns into a new home-grown weapon for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Honorable Mentions
Emmett Johnson, Brashard Smith and Jake Briningstool. Any of these Chiefs could be due for a breakout performance as a weapon for Andy Reid in the passing game.
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Good Write-up.
That run defense is a task for K9-OL, and though Kelce and Mahomes aren’t involved very much in the run game’s success directly, they are the other receivers are indirectly a significant factor. Can they stop it with only 6? I hope not, because that leaves them choosing to defend one or the other more and taking their chances.
As for Worthy, yeah, it wasn’t a great year for him, but he played the majority of last season injured, h
e was also up against The Playbook, with no time to ease into his role, the way most get to do things*, so I’m not placing too much credit on the full season’s numbers. I do seem to recall his numbers improving as the season wore on, so I hope we’ll see that version of him, and even better. We’ll see, but I’d put a little heat on B Smith and Royals, because this is their opportunity to prove they deserve a share of the snaps on the regular. Same with the rookies, but that depends on how much of The Playbook they can absorb, and how fast.*Left that in as a reminder to myself to check my memory more often, spaced out a whole year of his career.