The position corps that is under the most scrutiny for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2026 is wide receiver.
The group has struggled each of the past few seasons, and the Chiefs invested very little in it during the offseason. They did not sign a single receiver during free agency, and waited until the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft to take one (Cyrus Allen). They did sign a slew of undrafted free agent WRs.
Kansas City’s top WR, Rashee Rice, is currently serving 30 days in jail. He is also rehabbing from a surgical procedure on his right knee. Although he is expected to be ready for training camp, his off-the-field troubles and injury history make it tough for the Chiefs to rely on him moving forward.
Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy earning glowing reviews from OTAs
GettyChiefs WR Xavier Worthy
With Rice missing OTAs and next week’s mandatory minicamp, Worthy is the Chiefs’ top WR. Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy spoke to the media following Wednesday’s practice, and had a lot of praise for Worthy.
“Xavier is doing a heck of a job,” Bieniemy said. “He’s accepted the challenge. He’s working. He’s doing all the little things the right way, and he’s continuing to grow. He’ll make a mistake here and there, but I love the energy that he brings. I love his initial quickness. I just like the kid’s approach and his personality.”
Head coach Andy Reid also recently gave Worthy a big vote of confidence as he heads into his third NFL season, saying that the offensive staff was limited with how they could use him last season due to his shoulder injury.
“That was a unique deal,” Reid said. “I would tell you that we kind of, after that, we were afraid to do certain things with (Worthy). So I think him coming back healthy, I think opens up that whole picture you saw during training camp, where he had a whole bunch of different routes in there.”
Chiefs Have Big Expectations for Xavier Worthy in 2026
GettyChiefs WR Xavier Worthy
New WRs coach Chad O’Shea also spoke to the media on Wednesday, and revealed that he is impressed with Worthy’s attention to detail.
“I think the first thing is what you don’t see, and that’s off the field,” O’Shea said of Worthy. “I mean, he is tremendous in the classroom. His preparation so far has been outstanding. He’s very coachable. He’s not an error repeater. We correct mistakes, and he moves on very quickly. That’s something that I don’t think you see when somebody’s watching the film or watching from the stands, is how good he is in his preparation.”
O’Shea went on to explain that while Worthy’s speed is obvious, his sure-handedness has been what’s stood out the most.
“I’ve been very impressed with his ball skills,” O’Shea continued. “He catches the ball very well at all three levels — short, intermediate, and obviously the deep passes, which you guys saw some of that today. We were able to connect on some of those. His preparation and who he is and what he brings to the table there is outstanding. His ball skills just jump out at me. I obviously know about the speed, but I was excited about how well he’s caught the football.”
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