The Chiefs need this top free agent and other necessary overreactions to Week 13
By Jacob Milham
Overreaction #2: Chiefs WR issues are more about coaching than talent
I cannot stress this enough. Successful coaching is more important than talent in any sport. Regardless of a player's skill level, a coach who can inspire, motivate, and communicate effectively can bring out the best in them all. Kansas City lacks effective coaching in a few positions, but the shortcomings with the wide receivers are painfully obvious.
Say what you will about Marquez Valdes-Scantling's inability to track a deep ball; Kadarius Toney not knowing what to do on the field; and Skyy Moore giving up on a route. The fact is, all of those are coachable, or hard-nosed coaching will get a player to recognize what they are doing wrong and correct it. Wide receivers coach Connor Embree is closest to the problem and frankly lacks the experience to make this offense better.
Really do think it's obvious the Chiefs' WRs are poorly coached.
— Joe Summers (@IAmJoeSummers) December 4, 2023
Don't know the man coaching them personally, but they're making the exact same mistakes repeatedly and at some point, it's on him or it's on Nagy.
We know Reid can coach, we don't know those two can.
Embree has no professional playing experience. He didn't even play wide receiver in his collegiate career. People can point to his two years of experience as an offensive quality control coach as his qualifications for the job. The Chiefs took a chance on promoting from within, and it is failing miserably.
Am I saying the Chiefs wide receivers are the most talented in the league? No. But poor coaching can only bring that unit down more. This team has had three wide receivers drafted in the first two rounds since the 2021 draft. There is moldable talent on this roster. Kansas City can try and throw money and draft picks at the problem, but it is all for naught with ineffective coaching. We are seeing that before our very eyes.