Latest news with #XavierWorthy
Forbes
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Forbes
Chiefs Show Signs Of Improving Their Vertical Passing Game In 2025
Xavier Worthy of the Kansas City Chiefs runs the ball during Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia ... More Eagles at Caesars Superdome. (Photo by) Super Bowl LIX was a drubbing. It actually seemed more lopsided than the 40-22 final score indicates. But if there was a silver lining for the Kansas City Chiefs, it was the play of Xavier Worthy, who had eight catches for 157 and two touchdowns, and the re-emergence of the deep ball. Yes, Worthy's final touchdown — a 50-yard reception with 1:48 left to play — came against the Philadelphia Eagles' backups, but it showed a glimpse of what the Chiefs want to establish in 2025. 'It kind of just showed,' Worthy said, 'what's here to come in the future.' Or perhaps it's more accurate to say the Chiefs are trying to recapture the past. Patrick Mahomes' yards-per-attempt were above 8.0 during four of his first five years as a starting quarterback, but it dropped to 6.8 yards in 2024, and that served as the lowest mark of his career. 'Our job is to test the defenses down the field,' Mahomes said. 'We have to get back to doing that if we want to open other guys underneath.' During the passing camp Mahomes held in his native state of Texas and during the first week of organized team activities (OTAs), Mahomes said the speed of the Chiefs' receivers is what stood out most. 'We're fast,' he said. 'We've got guys that can roll.' Mahomes listed his downfield threats at wide receiver, obviously noting Worthy, who ran the fasted NFL Combine time ever, proven commodities like Rashee Rice and Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown and Jalen Royals, a rookie receiver who has drawn rave reviews. He also mentioned an intriguing name: Tyquan Thornton. Though he was mostly a bust with the New England Patriots — with just 39 receptions during his first three years in the NFL — he was a second-round pick in 2022. And the receiver, who the Chiefs signed to their practice squad on Nov. 18, 2024, ran a 4.28 in the 40-yard dash at the 2022 NFL Combine. He also impressed on Thursday — the final practice day of the first week of OTAs — catching two, quick passes during the 7-on-7 period. 'He's a really good receiver,' Worthy said. Worthy also impressed during Thursday's practice, hauling in a one-handed catch on a Mahomes pass. Worthy, who is on a four-year, $13.8 million rookie deal, said last year that he felt like he was being thrown into the fire, but with a year under Worthy's belt, the Chiefs are expecting big things from him. They are especially encouraged by the way he finished last season. During the last eight weeks of the 2024 regular season — excluding Week 17 when the Chiefs rested their starters — Worthy had at least four catches every game and surpassed 50 receiving yards four times. He saved his best for last, serving as a difference maker in the final two playoff games of the year. Before being the Chiefs' bright spot in Super Bowl LIX, he had six catches for 85 yards and a touchdown against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game. 'The end of last year was kind of a steppingstone for me,' he said. And Worthy could spearhead the relaunch of the Chiefs' deep passing game, which used to strike fear in opponents during the Legion of Zoom days when Mahomes threw bombs to Tyreek Hill before the speedster's contract demands necessitated a trade to the Miami Dolphins. 'Coach Reid is challenging me this offseason to push the ball down the field, let guys have a chance to make plays,' Mahomes said. 'And then once we get that back to where we want to and our standard that we believe we should have, then we can come back to the underneath stuff.'
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy gets called out by speedy teammate: 'I'm the fastest'
Kansas City Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy gets called out by speedy teammate: 'I'm the fastest' The Kansas City Chiefs are building an impressive roster of speedy wide receivers before the start of the 2025 season. Xavier Worthy, who has the reputation of being one of the fastest players in the league, discussed his excitement alongside a teammate who called him out. "Tyquan (Thornton) called me out last year, right after the Super Bowl, but I feel like I'm the fastest," said Worthy during last Thursday's press conference. "Hollywood, Tyquan, we got a lot of guys out there ready to compete and a lot of guys ready to get the ball deep." Tyquan Thornton didn't play in a regular-season game with the Chiefs last season, as he remained on the practice squad. Veteran players like DeAndre Hopkins and Marquise 'Hollywood' Brown were inserted into the active roster after returning from injury or via trade. The former 2022 second-round pick out of Baylor clocked in at an impressive 4.28 time in the 40-yard dash at that year's NFL combine. He never panned out with the Patriots, tallying 13 starts in 28 games and 39 receptions for 385 yards and two touchdowns. In 2024, he only had four catches for 47 yards in six games for New England.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How can the Chiefs expand their offense?
How can the Chiefs expand their offense? | Football 301 Yahoo Sports NFL analyst Nate Tice, fantasy analyst Matt Harmon and NFL writer Charles McDonald discuss Kansas City's struggles through the air last season and why sorting it out is imperative to getting back to the Super Bowl in 2025. Hear the full conversation on 'Football 301' - and subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , YouTube or wherever you listen tid View more Video Transcript I wanna see, I guess, the expansion of Kansas City's offense. Advertisement You're gonna get Rasheed Rice back. He lost Joe Dooney though, so we'll see like how Kingsley Sumataya plays that left guard. I don't know, man. He was really bad when he played last year. I think if you can just get Rasheed Rice back. And Xavier Worthy takes that next step, you can at least get back to playing some form of like explosive offense because I think, you know, even with, with someone as good as Mahomes as your quarterback, you don't want to be living how they were last year. Maybe they thought Xavier Worthy was gonna be a little bit more ready as like a real wide receiver threat. If you're gonna sign up for another 17 games of what they went through last year. Advertisement Uh, I don't know if they would get back to the Super Bowl, which is, that's the bar for this team. Kind of led to Andy Reid's worst tendencies, which is going full blown Mickey Mouse offense, Full blown, I mean, old school, late 90s West Coast with his, you know, the dancing and the red zone stuff, like. This is the frustrations with Andy Reid for a long time was what we saw last year. This was, this is what people used to say about the Eagles offenses in the os. Like, I remember as a kid, and then now I saw it last year and I'm like. Where's Freddie Mitchell at? I remember this offense. It's like, where's where's another 4 yard swinger out? Advertisement Uh, like I remember these offenses, so it's like, let's get back to 2018. I know 2018 is just never gonna happen again. I mean, obviously, but like let's get back to that like her down, block it up and chuck. Man, I would just feel so better, so much better about this, uh, offense if they just had like one true ex-receiver, you know, like one guy who could win against pressman coverage, like, throw him a bound, like, just handle the boundary stuff because all of these guys are players that take some level of role catering.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Former Texas Longhorn RB released by the Kansas City Chiefs
In a flurry of roster moves on Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs released former Longhorn Keaontay Ingram. The veteran running back was waived with an injury designation. While Ingram's time with the Chiefs didn't end as he wanted he enters the free agent market with plenty of experience. Following a productive career with the Longhorns, Ingram was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. In 12 games as a rookie, he recorded 60 yards on 27 carries. He also got some action in the passing game, hauling in four catches for 21 yards. Advertisement After parting ways with the Cardinals, Ingram was picked up by the Chiefs and appeared in one game last season. In Kansas City's Week three win over Atlanta, he got five special teams snaps and recorded one tackle. While his playing time was brief, the Texas native was able to play alongside former Longhorn Xavier Worthy. Although Ingram has struggled to carve out a role in the NFL he was a productive player in college. During his time as a Longhorn, Ingram appeared in 32 games and rushed for 1,811 yards. He also found the end zone on the ground 11 times and became a productive member of the offense. His time in Texas came to an end when he transferred to USC. While his time as a Trojan was short, Ingram took his game to another level. He finished with a single-season career-best 911 yards on 156 carries with five touchdowns. That helped improve his draft stock, where his NFL dreams came true. Advertisement With the regular season still months away, Ingram has plenty of time to find a new team. When he returns to 100 percent, he will be looking to show that he can still contribute to an NFL offense. This article originally appeared on Longhorns Wire: Former Longhorn cut by Kansas City Chiefs
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Chiefs' Super Bowl Credentials Put To Ultimate Test With Brutal Opening
As odd as it sounds, the Kansas City Chiefs will have a lot to prove when the 2025 season begins, and considering we are talking about a team that has been to three straight Super Bowls and won two, that is quite the head-scratcher. But that is where Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes find themselves after the Super Bowl beatdown at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. Plus, an offseason that has divided opinion with many unsure if the offensive line issues are truly fixed or not. Advertisement Luckily for the Chiefs skeptics, they won't have to wait long to see if the 2025 version of the Chiefs has the weaponry to climb the mountain again. For CBS Sports' John Breech, the opening month will tell us all we need to know about Kansas City. "We should find out pretty quickly this year if anyone can actually beat the Chiefs and that's because they'll be playing three games in their first four weeks against teams that made the playoffs last season," Breech writes. "After heading to Brazil in Week 1 to face the Chargers, they have to fly back for a Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles in Week 2. A Week 3 matchup with the Giants could be a trap game for a Chiefs team that will have to turn around and face the Ravens in Week 4." Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) scores a touchdown against Baltimore Ravens safety Marcus Williams (32) during the first Biggerstaff-Imagn Images The Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens in the opening month is some way to start the season. Advertisement Perhaps somewhat luckily, the Chiefs host both the Eagles and Ravens at Arrowhead, so home comforts will be a big factor. But nonetheless, Kansas City has many doubters entering the year, and what better way to make them sit back silently in their seats than to slay the Super Bowl champs and a Super Bowl contender in a matter of weeks, not to mention getting one over the Chargers, who many feel are playoff bound under Jim Harbaugh? The Chiefs have their fair share of doubters, and we won't have to wait long to see if those doubts are well-placed or not. Related: Chiefs Fans Have Every Reason To Believe 2025 Predictions Related: Taylor Swift and Travis Back in Public Eye for Awards
