The Kansas City Chiefs predict loads from 2024’s first-round draft choose Xavier Worthy — however thus far, now we have seen little of what the speedy Texas wideout might do with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. A hamstring harm prompted the group to maintain him out of a lot of the offseason OTA and obligatory minicamp practices.
However in line with head coach Andy Reid, Worthy’s time is coming.
“We’ll ease him in,” he informed reporters as his rookies and quarterbacks reported to Missouri Western State College in St. Joseph on Tuesday. “You recognize, we’re not going to simply give him each rep.”
However Mahomes didn’t sound like he was planning to chop Worthy a lot slack.
“There’s no ‘easing,’” he declared to reporters. “He’s going to be able to go. We’ve obtained a number of competitors on this offense; Brett Veach and coach did a fantastic job bringing a number of competitors in. Xavier obtained a number of psychological work in these previous few weeks that he had throughout OTAs and minicamp — but it surely’s time to go now.”
Mahomes reminded his listeners {that a} yr in the past, rookie wideout Rashee Rice was labored over fairly relentlessly in the course of the three rookie practices that opened coaching camp.
“Y’all noticed it with Rashee final yr,” he famous, “[with] some of the ‘throwing-up days’ he had. We’re going to push you to the restrict, [so you can] put together your self to be able to go for the season.”
However Reid additionally acknowledges that it’s an enormous transition for his rookies.
“I believe it’s nice for all these guys simply to get in and turn out to be acquainted — [to] undergo it another time earlier than the veterans get in [and] all the things’s going 100 miles an hour,” he defined. “So it’s slowed down. They’ll get the identical set up — the primary three installs — for when the vets get in. So I believe it’s an actual constructive for everyone — particularly Xavier, who didn’t have the chance to be out on the sector — simply going via these routes and doing what he must do.”
Reid says the diminutive large receiver is able to get some actual work.
“He needs to get in there and go,” stated the pinnacle coach. “It was driving him loopy to have to look at — you don’t wish to be the No. 1 choose, are available in and be sitting on the bench and watching. He’s a aggressive child that wishes to be in there — and we’re going to get him going.”
The excellent news for Worthy is that in these opening rookie/quarterback practices, he gained’t need to compete with veterans for receiving reps.
“These traces are quick,” stated Reid, “[so] they’ll get loads of reps. We simply don’t need him re-hurting the factor and setting himself again.”
“We’re excited to get a few days with them,” stated Mahomes, “[to] get some early work in with them [on] timing.”
After throwing to him throughout his offseason exercises in Texas, Mahomes has seen sufficient of Worthy to be impressed with him.
“He wasn’t petrified of the second,” famous the quarterback. “That’s an enormous factor. I bear in mind after I got here in as a rookie, I didn’t get thrown in with the ‘ones’ like that. He’s coming straight in from mix coaching and [getting] thrown in with the ‘ones’ — and he’s competing. He’s not making the identical errors twice — and that’s large.
“The pads will come on now. It’s one other step within the journey for him. However I believe he’s excited for it, actually. We’ll see the place we’re at. We’ll hold constructing — and see who comes out on high on the finish of the competitors.”
