Skyy Moore has golden opportunity for Chiefs without DeAndre Hopkins around

One of the biggest remaining questions of this offseason has finally been answered. After weeks of speculation concerning where wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would sign, it was reported on Sunday afternoon that he was signing a two-year, $26 million deal with the Tennessee Titans.

The Kansas City Chiefs were widely viewed as one of the three top finalists for Hopkins, along with the Titans and the New England Patriots, in large part because of their inexperienced wide receiver group. With Hopkins now out of the picture, one of the biggest potential winners could be wide receiver Skyy Moore.

The Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season despite losing All-Pro wideout Tyreek Hill. JuJu Smith-Schuster played a big part in replacing Hill, contributing 78 receptions for 933 yards, but he's now in New England. The Chiefs selected Rashee Rice in the second round of this year's NFL draft and added Richie James in free agency. However, rookies rarely produce in Andy Reid's offense and James wasn't viewed as a difference-maker in free agency.

With DeAndre Hopkins signing with the Tennessee Titans, there is a great opportunity for Skyy Moore to have a breakout season.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling pretty much is what he is at this point in his career, so unless you're all aboard the Justyn Ross hype train, that really only leaves Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore as the prime candidates to see a major jump in production with Juju now with the Patriots. While Toney definitely has the flashy star upside, it may be Moore that takes the biggest leap in production this season.

Toney has two things working against him when it comes to being a reliable, go-to receiver. First, his injury track record is rough. Second, because of his limited time being available, his role so far in the NFL has been more that of a manufactured big-play guy than an every down starting wideout. That doesn't mean he hasn't flashed the upside to become a top-tier wideout, but he also hasn't proven it.

Perhaps Toney will help return the big play element to the Chiefs' offense, but last season without Hil,l the Chiefs became an incredibly reliable offense at moving the chains. What K.C. could potentially miss without JuJu is having a reliable possession receiver in the intermediate range. Between Toney and Skyy Moore, Moore seems better suited for Smith-Schuster's old role.

In fact, I feel like I can make a pretty strong argument that the best-case scenario for the passing game this season is Moore and Travis Kelce are the reliable possession guys and MVS and Toney are utilized as the big-play weapons. That could mean Toney has a bigger highlight reel, but at the end of the season, Moore leads the receivers in yards and receptions.

Moore isn't as explosive as Toney, but in his limited playing time at receiver, he showed the ability to create separation with his route running and he has large hands for a player his size. His college tape is full of plays where he reaches out away from his body and snags passes. That's a huge trait for winning contested catch situations. If Moore can continue to develop his route running and create separation and snag balls out of the air, that will go a long way towards him earning that reliable target role that Mahomes will need with Smith-Schuster gone.

Hill used to fill both the role of a reliable go-to target and big play machine. Last season, Smith-Schuster filled the reliable target role, but the big plays were fairly limited to a few from Mecole Hardman, MVS, and Toney. If Toney and Moore can split those responsibilities effectively, we could see an even more productive offense than we've ever seen in K.C., despite the inexperience at wideout.

Skyy Moore has a chance now to earn not just a role, but the trust of the best quarterback in the NFL. If he can do that this season, then the Skyy is the limit for both this season and his NFL career. Here's to hoping that's exactly what happens this season.