David Bell
The Kansas City Chiefs WRs are not yet a group that is cut from whole cloth, but it is getting there. What finally happened in the game vs. the Los Angeles Chargers was the focus of the WR group, which became more granular.
A WR Sorts Himself Out… Maybe!
I was surprised when I heard the news that the Chiefs had released WR Justyn Ross, but that was a false report. When Ross was brought aboard the team, I had high hopes that he would become a major contributor to the Chiefs aerial attack. A short time later, we found out the truth of the matter:
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Ross may have misbehaved himself right out of the picture. After a couple of days, the NFL action and placed Ross on the Commissioners Exempt List. At this juncture, we now understand why he is gone if indeed he is. I did have high hopes for him as a Mahomes target. It just ain’t happening now, most likely and unfortunately. The important thing to remember at this point? Ross is still a Chief. The meaning of being a Chief has shifted over the past three days.
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However, he was back with the Chiefs during their practice session. So… who knows?
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Then, on Friday, Ross was moved to the Exempt list. Who knows how long it will take to resolve the status?
The Commissioner’s Exempt list action on Justyn Ross makes him unavailable. The timeframe is indeterminate. It may end up pushing things to the next off-season. Either way, it takes the pressure off the Chiefs. Ross is out this week and likely, until his first court appearance. That may end up resulting in his departure from the Kingdom. I’d have to find the date of his court appearance to figure out how long the initial move by the NFL lasts. Perhaps, this also gives the NFL time to investigate the event. We just won’t know the final result of the Ross legal matters for an undetermined period of time.
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It’s all up in the air at this point!
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The Emerging WR: Rashee Rice
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Rice Getting YAC vs. LAC – Andrew Mather Photo
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Rice brings excitement when he has the ball in his hands. Last week, Rashee showed what he can do with YAC. It appears to me that he is successful in routes that JuJu Smith-Schuster owned in 2022. That’s good news. Rice has greater speed than did JuJu — both men are 6’1″ so the similarity is cogent. See the video, here (0:08):
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Quite obviously, the stats put up thus far by the rookie WR have been an eye-catcher. Rice rates highly among all NFL WRs, especially against zone coverage:
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It appears to me that Rice could emerge as the Chief’s Possession Target for Mahomes as the Season progresses. now seven games into the season, Rice appears poised to record an 800-yard receiving season or even exceed that. Here is where he stands before the game at Denver:
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Yes, I still think MVS is the top threat deep and adding Mecole Hardman to the mix should be a boon for the deep ball as well.
What I think is happening is that the dynamism of Rice and his growing connection with QB Patrick Mahomes have me very excited! His 8.8 YAC tells me that Mahomes will get him the ball frequently the rest of the way to this season’s finale. Patrick said in a presser this week speaking about Rice.
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“He [Rice] has great feel, and that’s the biggest thing. Obviously, you see how explosive he is and you see the physical talent, but he also has a good understanding of when he’s open and how to stay open.”
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I think those remarks indicate PMII’s growing enthusiasm and trust in Rashee Rice.
What has appeared to have occurred over the past seven games is that Patrick Mahome’s trust in Rice has grown by leaps and bounds. Rice is distinguishing himself as a viable go-to target for Mahomes and the intangibles are growing at the same time. This is a sorely needed development. If I am correct in my prediction of what Rice will accomplish, we should see JuJu-type numbers recorded by Rice in 2023. Mahomes needs that target which departed with Smith-Schuster departed the kingdom this past off-season.
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Marquez Valdez-Scantling (MVS)
Marquez Scores vs. LAC – Cassie Florido photo
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MVS has not ascended to the level of a true #1 WR. However, he does provide the ability to get over the top in the aerial attack. I am perplexed as to why he is not targeted more. For example, in his most productive game in 2023, he had 84 receiving yards, 3 receptions, and 3 targets with 1 TD. I did spend some time looking at some game film to see if he was getting open… and… he has done so. It appears the timing of the routes wasn’t good for PMII’s target sequence progression.
We need to see more success in MVS being a target for Mahomes — period.
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Adding Hardman Back into the Mix
I know that the trade for Mecole Hardman, bringing him back to the Kingdom was disconcerting for some. I joked about the caterwauling going on about the trade, but we all witnessed what his speed brings to the table with his enormous punt return in last week’s game –> it was an Electric Moment and shows what Hardman’s speed does for the Chiefs. Brett Veach used two 2025 draft picks — a 6th and 7th — to make the trade to get Hardman back to the Kingdom. It made sense to me to go get Mecole. The Chiefs can use his speed threat and Justin Watson had been injured. Watson, by the way, was back at practice yesterday.
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Patrick Mahomes observed that Hardman brings a spark to the offense, saying in a presser “He brings another spark of energy. ” I recall the dramatic comeback game from 24 down vs. the Texans. Travis Kelce marched up and down the sideline shouting “Energy”! Another spark is a good ingredient to add.
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Sam Lutz Photo – Mahomes in Action vs. the Chargers
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Hardman’s over-the-top speed has been missing from the equation since Hill departed for South Beach and then Hardman for the Jets earlier this year. Of course, the magnificent punt return was a special teams moment and not as a receiver. I am reminded of a contest between Tyreek Hill and Mecole Hardman in a 40-yard square-off. Hill won, but Hardman was a half-step behind.
Nick Jacobs featured the return, here (0:13):
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That return shifted the momentum of the game from which the Chargers were unable to recover.
Hardman’s over-the-top speed will be a factor in the aerial game but the offense is a bit different from when he was a Chief. It will require a break-in time to get on the same page as Mahomes — and yes, in the past, Hardman and Mahomes were on different pages. The question becomes: does Mecole Hardman want it bad enough to stick to the script and drop into holes in the defense to be Mahome’s target when Patrick is under pressure or scrambling? I am going to bet that the speed does the trick and Hardman very quickly emerges as an aerial threat as well as providing the missing ingredient on the Jet Sweep.
What I foresee about Hardman and MVS stretching the back end of the defense is one or the other can run a full-speed crossing route underneath the long target. Meanwhile, the short-to-intermediate routes should see WRs get open–Enter Rashee Rice and Skyy Moore! We’ll see more of this on Sunday. At least that is how I see things breaking.
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My Dear Watson…
What About Skyy Moore & Kadarius Toney?
The thing that I notice about Justin Watson is that he gets open for the deeper zone… sneakily. He’s made some big plays for the Chiefs. We last saw him in action vs. the Broncos, the game in which he was targeted once and then injured, thus facilitating the move by Brett Veach to acquire Mecole Hardman. If you recall the play from the Bronco’s game, Watson nearly made a miracle catch on the pass from PMII. His production exceeds both Moore and Toney by the way, with 219 yards, 10 Catches averaging 21 yards per reception. He appears to be a solid deep target for Mahomes.
See the single play vs. the Broncos, here (0:25):
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Watson should be available for a repeat performance vs. the Broncos in an upcoming match at Mile High this Sunday. He is practicing this week which is a good sign. Here I anticipate limited use but the trio of MVS, Hardman, and Watson gives the Chiefs 3 ways to get the deep ball working–that’s a plus. There is also the mystical connection that Mahomes has for Watson. Let’s hope we see the spark added by Hardman and the mystique in action in a game that may be played in a snowstorm.
I am not sure how to write about Moore Today. He continues to get snaps on offense. For example, in the game at Arrowhead vs. the Chargers, his snap count was 40 while Rashee Rice had 41. MVS totaled 47 snaps and Toney only 19. It certainly appears Nagy and the Chiefs are trying to keep Moore deeply involved based on play participation. In the game vs. LAC, Moore had 2 receptions for 15 yards on 3 targets. Overall in 2023, Moore has 13 catches on 24 targets for 160 yards and 1 TD. Toney had 1 catch for 13 yards on one Target. Over the past five games though, Toney has recorded 12 Receptions on 16 targets, 69 yards, and 1 TD. There is not enough production in my view from either WR.
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What’s My Line? The Rebus View of Mahomes
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The Lisa Foxx article covered the topic well in regard to the Chiefs WR mix. Review the article here –> “KC’s Wide Receiver Woes”
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I have previously written that I believed the reason the passing game wasn’t “clicking” was a combination of factors, plays negated by penalties, WR inexperience with QB Patrick Mahomes, staff play-calling, and Patrick Mahomes all contributing to the ineffectiveness of the aerial attack. In one article, I wrote about PMII not being on the top of his game: “Where are the Mahomes Miracles.” Something appeared to me to be missing.
Then, finally, the passing game took off vs. the Chargers. Yes… finally! It will need PMII’s magic to continue from this emergence. His last game saw him succeed on 32-of-42 passes (76%, which is 10% higher than his career percentage rate) for 424 yards and 4 TDs to 4 different receivers. PM also threw passes to ten different receivers!
In brief, I think this has mostly been due to the success of Rashee Rice… plus Mecole Hardman should bring an added advantage from this point on as well. What we saw at Arrowhead in week 7 was an emergence — let’s hope that that success breeds continued success.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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