The Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiver room can’t seem to catch a break. Already shorthanded before kickoff against theLos Angeles Chargers in Brazil, Andy Reid’s offense took another hit just minutes into the game.
With Rashee Rice serving a suspension and rookie Jalen Royals nursing a sore knee, the Chiefs leaned heavily on second-year wideout Xavier Worthy. But on the first drive, disaster struck.
Worthy collided with Travis Kelce while the two crossed paths on a third-down route. The 21-year-old immediately grabbed his shoulder and needed help leaving the field. He spent a few moments with trainers on the sideline before heading to the locker room, later reemerging with a towel draped over his head.
Chiefs rule Worthy out
After initially listing him as questionable, Kansas City downgraded Worthy to out with a shoulder injury before the end of the first quarter. He was taken for X-rays, and no immediate timeline has been provided.
The injury leaves Patrick Mahomes with Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Jason Brownlee, Tyquan Thornton and Nikko Remigio as his only active wideouts. That’s a workable group, but losing Worthy – who led all Chiefs receivers in yards and touchdowns as a rookie last year – changes the game plan.
Mahomes has leaned on Worthy’s speed to stretch defenses, something that can’t be replicated easily. Without him, expect more targets for Kelce in the middle of the field and an even heavier reliance on the run game with Isaiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.
For a team that came into 2025 with questions about wide receiver depth, this is the scenario they wanted to avoid. Kansas City has the star quarterback to adapt, but early injuries have made the path a lot steeper than expected.
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