Although the Kansas City Chiefs are now 4-0 heading into their bye week, Week 4 didn’t come without a price. Wide receiver Rashee Rice left the game very early with a hamstring injury, and fellow receiver Tyquan Thornton also left the game with a brutal ankle injury.
Fortunately for Rice, he shouldn’t miss more than a game or two (if that). Since the Chiefs play the currently winless Los Angeles Chargers at home in their first game after the bye week, his potential absence for that game shouldn’t be too much of a hindrance for Kansas City.
Tyquan Thornton is another story, unfortunately. Due to his serious ankle injury that required surgery, he is expected to miss between 12 and 16 weeks, which means he can potentially return for the playoffs, but that’s not a guarantee.
This injury is unfortunate for the Chiefs because Thornton has been their most efficient pass-catcher. According to Pro Football Focus, Thornton ranked first among all wide receivers and tight ends in yards per route run at 2.23. The next closest is Travis Kelce at 2.18.
Chiefs have to find a way to replace Tyquan Thornton
The Chiefs will need to replace Thornton. Yes, Tyreek Hill rumors have been red hot as of late, but as of the writing of this article, he is not signed, and his rehab from a brutal lower-body injury he suffered a year ago is not a guarantee.
If Brett Veach and the KC front office don’t make a deal, the team is going to have to replace Thornton from within. The next man up on the wide receiver depth chart is Jalen Royals. Maybe the Chiefs need to turn to another young receiver instead?
Cyrus Allen could finally get his opportunity
One of the more polarizing names of the 2026 preseason for Kansas City was 5th round pick, Cyrus Allen.
After the first two weeks of training camp, many fans thought the team landed one of the bigger steals in the 2026 draft with their wide receiver out of Cincinnati. He was turning heads with his ability to generate consistent separation against the starting secondary and display exceptional ball skills. He wasn’t a perfect player, as he’s a little undersized and doesn’t exactly have the blazing speed to be a consistent deep threat, but he showed enough in camp to be given a shot.
No, Allen won’t be the one-for-one replacement in the deep passing game, but given how dire the wide receiver room might be (especially if Rice has to miss at least one game), Cyrus Allen needs to be given significant playing time. He doesn’t need to catch 1-2 deep balls per game from Patrick Mahomes to be worth the playing time.
If Allen can be the man-beater he was hyped up to be, that can be just as valuable as Thornton’s vertical ability. Even with the current starters fully healthy, this unit struggled to generate consistent separation against man coverage, meaning that Allen has the talent to solve at least one problem this offense had.
The Chiefs need to find out what they have in Cyrus Allen
So far this season, Allen has run only 6 routes in 4 games, with 1 target that fell incomplete. He's also only logged 10 offensive snaps, but only 11 special teams snaps as well. He's rarely been on the field.
Don’t get me wrong, Allen was a late fifth-round pick not even six months ago. No one is expecting him to solve every problem immediately. Like any young player, he will need time to grow, but that’s why Andy Reid and the coaching staff must give him the chance to sink or swim. The best way for a young player to develop is to give him real playing time. He might not be ready, but he also might prove to be an immediate asset for this team. The only way to find out is to play him against real competition.
In most years, the Chiefs wouldn’t necessarily give a rookie like Cyrus Allen snaps just to “develop.” The team is always in “win-now” mode and needs to play the best possible combination of players. Today, they might not have a choice and might need to play their 5th-round rookie wide receiver.
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