The Kansas City Chiefs had numerous weaknesses in 2025, hence their final mark of 6-11. Their pass rush was anemic, their running game was comically bad, they lacked speed in the secondary, and their wide receivers were a combination of injured and ineffective. General manager Brett Veach has addressed three of those four issues this offseason through both free agency and the draft.
Running game and defense addressed
The signing of Kenneth Walker III should give the Chiefs their best running back play of the Patrick Mahomes era and present a drastic upgrade over what Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt put forth last season. To improve their athleticism in the defensive backfield, they traded up to select Mansoor Delane with the sixth overall pick, drafted Jadon Canady in the fourth round, and signed 28-year-old safety Alohi Gilman in free agency.
Lastly, their defensive front was substantially improved by swapping out the likes of Mike Danna, Derrick Nnadi, and Jerry Tillery and inserting rookies Peter Woods and R. Mason Thomas into the lineup. Should Woods and Thomas live up to their draft billing, the Chiefs would immediately get younger and more talented on the defensive line.
Wide receiver remains the biggest concern
The one group that was a glaring weak spot last season that was not addressed this offseason was the wide receiver room. The only addition they made with a realistic chance to make the roster was selecting Cyrus Allen in the fifth round.
The wide receiver position could be described as a hole on the Chiefs' roster over the past three seasons, as nobody at the position has even approached 1,000 receiving yards during that span. The only Chiefs receiver to surpass the 900-yard mark during that period was Rashee Rice in 2023. It could be argued that Rice would already have a 1,000-yard season on his résumé if not for his last two campaigns being derailed by injuries and suspensions. Unfortunately, that is exactly why the Chiefs entrusting Rice as their primary pass-catching option is extremely risky.
Rashee Rice's production versus availability
Over the last two full seasons, Rice has appeared in just 12 games. When on the field, the SMU product has been good, totaling 24 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns in just three full games in 2024. If not for some friendly fire from Mahomes in Week 4, Rice's final stat line would have been in the ballpark of 136 catches, 1,632 yards, and 11 touchdowns had he maintained his early-season pace.
Last season, Rice appeared in eight games, as he was suspended for the first six contests and sat out the final three due to a concussion. In those games, he caught 53 passes for 571 yards and five touchdowns, which equates to a 113-catch, 1,213-yard, and 11-touchdown pace over a 17-game season.
The question with Rice is not his talent, but rather his consistent off-field issues throughout his tenure in Kansas City. His most notable off-field misstep was his involvement in the dangerous street-racing incident in 2024, which resulted in the aforementioned six-game suspension last season and probation. While on probation, Rice tested positive for marijuana, which netted him a 30-day prison sentence last month. He was released on June 16 and should be all systems go when the Chiefs open training camp on July 29.
However, Chiefs fans have a right to feel uneasy about Rice being entrusted as the team's primary pass catcher. While his tendency to make the wrong headlines is concerning on its own merit, the 26-year-old wideout has also struggled with injuries over the past two years and displayed numerous on-field mental lapses last season. While the production was there, Rice dropped several crucial passes that contributed to the Chiefs losing close games.
Xavier Worthy faces a pivotal season
Rice's availability and decision-making are concerning in their own right, but they are far from the only worries surrounding Kansas City's receiving room. When Rice is healthy and fully engaged, he is a legitimately good NFL wide receiver, whereas the same cannot yet be said about his counterparts.
Xavier Worthy will assume the role of the Chiefs' second receiver, which presents equal risks for different reasons. Throughout his first two seasons, Worthy has had his highs and lows but ultimately has yet to reach the 700-yard mark. In 2024, the 23-year-old speedster was a legitimate force down the stretch, totaling 58 catches for 679 yards and six touchdowns over the Chiefs' final 10 games, including the postseason. In Super Bowl LIX, Worthy had the best game of his young career on the biggest stage with eight receptions for 157 yards and two touchdowns.
Worthy's strong finish to his rookie campaign led to plenty of hype and optimism surrounding the 2024 first-rounder. Unfortunately, the dreaded sophomore slump came to fruition as he saw his total yardage, receptions, touchdowns, first downs, and catch percentage all decline. Not all of this was Worthy's fault, as he suffered a shoulder injury on his first route of the season and was rarely at full strength throughout the year. Regardless, he eclipsed 60 receiving yards in just two contests in 2025.
Worthy has also struggled with sideline awareness, as far too often he has failed to keep both feet in bounds when tracking deep passes. If Worthy can live up to the talent he displayed down the stretch in 2024, he and Rice could form a dangerous one-two punch. However, if he cannot produce at a high level on a game-to-game basis, the Chiefs could look to upgrade the position in 2027. Needless to say, this season is a significant one for Worthy's career trajectory in Kansas City.
Tyquan Thornton has an opportunity
Perhaps the biggest wild card in the Chiefs' receiver room is Tyquan Thornton, who may have been the team's best wideout during the first three contests while Rice was suspended and Worthy was sidelined.
After an injury-riddled tenure in New England, Thornton was the star of last season's training camp. Due to the Chiefs' lack of options early in the year, the former second-round pick was thrust into a larger role from the outset, and he delivered. In the Chiefs' first three games of 2025, Thornton accumulated nine catches for 171 yards and two touchdowns while serving as Mahomes' go-to target. Perhaps more impressive was his ability to stretch the field, as he averaged 19 yards per reception over Weeks 1 through 3.
However, as Rice and Worthy returned to the lineup, Thornton's role precipitously—and somewhat inexplicably—diminished. The Chiefs opted to play older players such as Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster over Thornton despite Thornton being the most productive of the three.
With Brown and Smith-Schuster now with the Eagles and Giants, respectively, Thornton is solidified as the Chiefs' third receiver. Thornton showed the speed and ball-tracking ability to be a legitimate contributor to the offense. Despite this, he must stay healthy and prove that his early-season performance last year was not a mirage.
The gamble that could define the season
Rice, Worthy, and Thornton have all shown the ability to be anywhere from useful to good NFL wide receivers, but because of injuries, inconsistency, or off-field issues, none has yet reached his full potential. In order for the Chiefs to be prolific on offense, they will need each of these receivers to be the best version of himself throughout the season while avoiding the injury bug.
That becomes even more important when considering that, outside of Rice, Worthy, and Thornton, the rest of the Chiefs' rostered receivers have combined for just 10 catches for 129 yards and zero touchdowns over their entire careers. While the Chiefs certainly hope Allen can eventually become a plus player for them, relying on a fifth-round rookie to play a major role immediately is illogical. For context, Royals was selected 34 spots higher than Allen in the 2025 draft and made effectively no impact as a rookie, catching just two passes for four yards.
The Chiefs are taking a massive gamble on their top three options living up to the responsibility of leading their passing attack. The Chiefs have not finished better than 15th in offensive points per game since the 2022 season. While it is unfair to blame that on one person or one position group, the lack of stability at wide receiver during that span has played a significant role. While there are still some high-profile free-agent receivers on the market (Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Deebo Samuel, etc.), the Chiefs have given no indication they are interested in bringing in outside help.
Their approach to the wide receiver position is similar to what they did in 2023, when they relied on in-house players to take on larger roles in addition to selecting Rice in the second round. Despite that season culminating in a Super Bowl LVIII victory, the Chiefs' receivers struggled throughout the year with drops and poor route-running. Rice, Thornton, and Worthy are a more proven and talented group than the trio of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but valid concerns remain. Much of the Chiefs' success in 2026 will hinge on the performance and health of their receiving corps, as the rest of the roster holes have been filled.
If they can get the best out of these receivers, there is no reason the Chiefs should not be contenders in a wide-open AFC. However, if injuries, lack of development, and off-field issues get in the way, it could be another season in which watching the offense leaves you scratching your head.
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