KC Chiefs: Three reasons for optimism at wide receiver
By Matt Conner
There are very good reasons to believe the Kansas City Chiefs might be better at wide receiver than you think at this point in the offseason.
At this point, Chiefs Kingdom is waiting to know who will step in at wide receiver. The better question might be who will step up.
The Kansas City Chiefs already have a solid core of young wideouts in the receiver room, but all of the focus has remained on who has left—JuJu Smith-Schuster, Mecole Hardman—or who could be coming—Odell Beckham Jr., DeAndre Hopkins. That’s completely understandable since arrivals and departures are far more entertaining than those who are staying in the same place.
But what might be important to remember is that the Chiefs have very good reasons for optimism at wide receiver for the ’23 season already. Let’s take a look at the upside in place.
Skyy Moore
If there’s a real x-factor here, let’s start with Skyy Moore.
it can take some time for a rookie to grow into a meaningful role for the Chiefs’ offense as a wideout based on everything Andy Reid asks a player to know and do. It’s not just about their role but about every role. It’s not just about what to do with the football but what he should be doing without the ball. It’s spacing and blocking and catching and… you get the picture.
That has everything to do with Skyy Moore, who was a second-round pick for the Chiefs in the ’22 NFL Draft. It took Moore a long time to get moving in the team’s offense as a rookie, as he ended the year with only 22 catches for 250 yards and was held without a single touchdown in the regular season. And it’s not as if he was that much better in the postseason with 5 catches for 17 yards and 1 touchdown. (Even though, yes, there was that one touchdown!)
Andy Reid is going to find a way to use Moore in 2023. There’s just no way around it. He has exceptional hands, a stellar burst, great speed, a tough approach, solid routes, and excellent footwork. There’s no reason he can’t carry a significant load in his second season with a floor of 500-700 yards (or more).