All quiet on the Marquez Valdes-Scantling front for KC Chiefs

Much has been said about the Kansas City Chiefs’ expectations for Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore in 2023. Are we forgetting about Marquez Valdes-Scantling?

In the three months since the NFL offseason began, the Kansas City Chiefs lost a pair of wide receivers to free agency (JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman). During that stretch, in spite of the losses, general manager Brett Veach has showered wide receiver Kadarius Toney with praise. In early March, NFL insider James Palmer reported that the Kansas City Chiefs believe Toney can be their new No. 1 receiver. Just this week, Veach had this to say about future possibilities for the third-year man out of Florida:

"Everyone knows about Kadarius and how talented he is and Kadarius can do anything on the field. He can line up inside, outside, running back, quarterback. He can do it all. He was quarterback back in his day. So again, we just like to put talent out in the field and Coach will find ways to put these guys in different positions and different formations and different sets."

Toney isn’t the only receiver the team has high expectations for heading into their 2023 campaign. Skyy Moore — Kansas City’s second-round pick in 2022 — is similarly projected to be a bigger part of the offense. He had a modest rookie season posting 22 receptions for 250 receiving yards. Perhaps the highlight of his season was his four-yard fourth-quarter touchdown in Super Bowl LVII. The touchdown gave the Chiefs a 35-27 lead over the Philadelphia Eagles with 9:22 remaining in regulation.

The Chiefs bolstered their receiving corps by drafting SMU wideout Rashee Rice with the 55th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. The team likely won’t count on him to make an immediate contribution. Historically, rookie receivers take some time to acclimate themselves to Andy Reid’s offense. Rice is a unique talent with a rare blend of size, speed and athleticism. Whether or not and how quickly that translates to the NFL game remains to be seen.

The interesting part of this offseason conversation is how veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling may have been lost in the mix. He had a pedestrian 687 receiving yards on 42 receptions in 2022. That’s north of his career average in five years as a pro (568 yards per season). It’s clear that’s why he’s been omitted from the discussion. As fans, we believe we’ve seen his ceiling in the NFL. At 28 years old, it’s unlikely to see him take another major step in the National Football League.

Getting on the same page

A closer inspection might suggest he can take another small step in his progression. During the month of October, Valdes-Scantling recorded three of his best games as a Chief. His finest moment came in the AFC Championship Game that ultimately sent the Chiefs back to Glendale, Arizona. During that contest, he amassed 116 receiving yards and 1 touchdown on 8 receptions.

You might recall that FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported that Travis Kelce had tightness in his back coming into that game. Kansas City would go on to lose Kadarius Toney to an ankle injury late in the first quarter. Mecole Hardman was also felled by injury, reaggravating his abdominal issue on his second reception of the day. Couple that with a hobbled Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs were in a dangerous position in terms of offensive weapons.

Despite that, Valdes-Scantling rose to the challenge and played his best game as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He punctuated a stellar day with a timely third-down conversion late in the third quarter. He took a short pass and split two defenders on his way to the line to gain. The defenders converged quickly, but MVS was able to stretch the football out just beyond the marker to convert. A few minutes later, he beat Mike Hilton—the man who coined the term Burrowhead—for the go-ahead score.

A step forward for MVS

The key for me isn’t the box score numbers. It appeared Valdes-Scantling finally got on the same page with Patrick Mahomes. Early in the season, he and Mahomes weren’t in sync on deep throws. The timing was always a bit off to start the year. As time went on, they started connecting on some of those vertical plays. Does this mean we can expect a major uptick in his production in 2023? No, I certainly wouldn’t count on that. I don’t even think it’s necessary.

Travis Kelce is this team’s No. 1 option in the passing game. Kansas City doesn’t need Marquez Valdes-Scantling to be their WR1; that’s not who he is anyway. If he can simply get more attuned to his quarterback, he could post another season in the 700-800 receiving-yard range. With that kind of performance, any additional contributions that come from Toney, Moore, or Rice become a bonus. I’m persuaded that right now, he’s the team’s most reliable receiver. We’ll have to find out if such remains the case true throughout the 2023 season.