It's safe to say that a lot of Kansas City Chiefs fans were frustrated by the lack of attention given to the wide receiver position this offseason. Clearly, the unit didn't get the job done a season ago but Brett Veach left it alone for the most part.
Veach re-signed Tyquan Thornton in free agency and the only other move he really made at the position was spending a fifth-round pick on Cyrus Allen out of Cincinnati. That was it.
Chiefs fans naturally didn't feel great about the state of the wideouts given that Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy were returning as two of the three starters and nothing else was really done. That being said, Allen has received a lot of attention this summer (and deservedly so) and now the praise for him has been taken to even new heights.
Nate Taylor, who works as the Chiefs beat reporter for ESPN, recently appeared on That Football Show with Matt Verderame and sang Allen's praises. He was a bit hesitant to do so at first because he didn't want to seem like he was going overboard but, when push came to shove, he had to shout out the rookie receiver.
"Look, I've been doing this for nine years, guys... I don't want to be like, prisoner of the moment. I don't want to be super knee-jerky... I have reason to believe that [the Chiefs'] best receiver is 13 (Allen's jersey number)," Taylor said. "He's the one that I have the most confidence in growth starting Week 1... I know people are saying 'Well he didn't really do much in the preseason'. I think that was very intentional and I don't think his quarterback was on the field and he's their best route runner... Either the second or the third day of training camp where I was like, 'Oh, so this is like, legitimate'."
Cyrus Allen receives unbelievable praise ahead of rookie season
That's pretty big praise for a guy who went on Day 3 of the draft and hasn't played a single regular-season snap yet. It's also coming from someone who admits he's been doing this a long time and doesn't want to overreact, so you can take what he's saying at face value.
If what Taylor is saying about Allen is true and he does end up being the Chiefs' best receiver, then hopefully he puts up big numbers as well and doesn't just barely surpass Worthy, Rice, and Thornton. No, the Chiefs need a star at the position, which is something they've lacked since they traded Tyreek Hill away in 2022.
If Allen can be that guy for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, perhaps this unit can get back to being the lethal scorers they once were early in Mahomes' career. It'd also go without saying that if that ends up being the case, Allen would undoubtedly be the steal of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Let's hope Taylor is onto something with this praise and that Cyrus Allen can be the superstar wide receiver the Chiefs desperately need. More Super Bowl appearances could be on the horizon if so.
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