The Kansas City Chiefs have decided to open the window for a potential return to the active roster for wide receiver Skyy Moore. The move allows Moore to return to practice for the Chiefs with Super Bowl LIX coming into view in just over a week on February 9.
The move is an interesting one for several reasons, the first of which being that Moore was reportedly out for the year after suffering a core muscle injury around Week 8. Other Chiefs have been reportedly lost for the year, including corner Jaylen Watson and wideout Hollywood Brown, only to also return in the postseason. 'Tis the benefit of playing an extra month or two.
Moore is now eligible to practice with the team, and it's here that other questions enter the picture, which could be summarized by asking, "What are the Chiefs really wanting here?" Moore has never made any real offensive impact despite the Chiefs' investment of a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft in him.
Despite a lack of production, however, the Chiefs have played Moore on more snaps than most fans would expect on offense. Moore was in on 20 percent of snaps before hitting injured reserve and 53 percent of them last season in 14 games. That said, the Chiefs were dealing with myriad injuries early this season at the position—Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Rashee Rice.
With DeAndre Hopkins now in the fold along with an almost fully healthy WR room, it's hard to imagine Moore getting any real traction on the offensive side. The same can be said on special teams where Nikko Remigio has taken over return duties with real flair. Even behind him are Carson Steele, Samaje Perine, Justin Watson and other options.
But the Chiefs did lean on Moore for some returns even this year and he had heavier usage in the past on special teams. Perhaps Dave Toub has a vision for how to utilize him in the Super Bowl.
Then again, it's also possible the Chiefs are just wanting to get a live look at Moore in practice. If there's any potential for future growth—the term "late bloomer" exists for a reason—the Chiefs could get a glimpse of how Moore has come along after sitting out due to injury by getting him back on the practice field with the rest of the team. The vision for the Super Bowl is in front of them but the offseason is not far behind.
Nothing is official yet in terms of Moore's return to the active roster. This move only allows him to return to practice for up to 21 days before the Chiefs have to make it official. For now, he's a live practice body and nothing more—but the move brings up questions all the same.