After enduring another round of injury news at wide receiver in the last few days, Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid offered up a reprieve of sorts with some heartening updates from training camp.
Specifically, Reid spoke with reporters following the team's practice in St. Joseph on Friday with word that former first-round choice Xavier Worthy was able to avoid a concussion after suffering a head injury earlier in the week.
"It ended up not being a concussion," said Reid. "We had both the NFL involved with the clearing and our docs, and he's got a little liquid. He had a little liquid in his ear, and they took care of that. It was throwing his equilibrium off just a bit. So that's a positive thing."
The Chiefs got some very good news after placing Xavier Worthy in the concussion protocol earlier this week.
Worthy had been placed in the team's concussion protocol after Reid explained that the second-year wideout had "banged his head" in one of the Chiefs' first padded practices of training camp. Worthy and the rest of the Chiefs had the day off yesterday, so this latest update should clear the way for Worthy to continue to grow in his second preseason with the team.
Unfortunately, the Chiefs have been dealing with other concerns at the position even beyond Worthy's potential concussion. Marquise "Hollywood" Brown has an ankle issue that kept him out once again on Friday, even after the day away from practice. Skyy Moore has been nursing a hamstring injury as well.
While rookie receivers aren't typically all that productive for the Chiefs, Worthy was a nice exception who came on strong at year's end to prove the team right in its belief in him despite facing concerns over a slighter build coming into the NFL Draft. The former Texas product turned in a sensational rookie year that led all pass catchers in catches and receiving yards in the postseason (with 19 and 287, respectively).
Coming into the 2025 season, the Chiefs are hoping for healthy campaigns from both Worthy and Rashee Rice (looming suspension, notwithstanding) to allow the offense to return to the fireworks of 2022 instead of the middling years experienced in both 2023-24 due to injuries.
Worthy's rookie campaign featured 59 catches for 638 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns for the Chiefs. He also had 20 carries for 104 yards and another 3 touchdowns on the ground.