CHIEFS CHOICES: The Wide Receivers

Laddie Morse

When the Chiefs drafted Skyy Moore in the second round, with the 54^th pick overall, of the 2022 NFL Draft, I thought they’d found their new #1 WR, even though they had signed JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency. Now that JuJu is history you might think I’m ready to insert Skyy into that role this season. However, it appears the Chiefs have alternatives… choices… as it were, and the number one wideout could end up going to a number of players on the Chiefs roster, depending on the game and situation. Let’s explore.

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Skyy Moore

Moore scored his first and only touchdown in Super Bowl LVII and it was a gorgeous sight to see:

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Although Moore scored the TD here against one of hte best defenses in the NFL, the reason he was so wide open wasn’t because of him… it was because of coaching. Andy Reid and Eric Bieniemy (and others) noticed that the Eagles had a problem with switching out their coverage assignments when the Chiefs sent a man in motion across the formation and that’s what led to Moore being so wide open. Not only that, but that was the same reason Kadarius Toney was so wide open when he scored his TD earlier in the game on the other side of the field. Could Moore develop into the Chiefs #1WR? Sure, but let’s not get confused about why he was able to score his first TD.

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Marquez Valdes-Scantling – MVS

MVS had a game high of 111 yards in week 7 of the 2022 season when the Chiefs faced the 49ers. He ended up the season with 587 receiving yards. At times he looks like a #1 WR, but not most of the time. Here are his highlights from the 2022 season (4:03):

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With a case of the dropsies early in the season last year, he made up for it with some big catches at critical moments later in the season. However, it’s those drops that make it harder to see him as the Chiefs #1 guy at wideout.

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Richie James

Brett Veach may have said he’s had his eye on Richie James for some time, but there’s no way he’s going to end up as the Chiefs #1 WR. James was drafted by the 49ers in the 7th round (240th overall) in the 2018 Draft, but after 3 seasons there, he left for the Giants, and then he signed with K.C. in April. So far, he’s averaged 315 receiving yards per year in four seasons in the NFL.

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Rashee Rice

Rashee Rice had an excellent college career. However, it wasn’t until his 2022 season that he had a breakout year with 1.355 receiving yards.

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While Rashee Rice had his best season in his last year at SMU, his total yards for his career and his total TDs were standout stats.

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The American Conference is not the best conference in college ball, but his gradual progress makes him a superior prospect and the very reason the Chiefs nabbed him at pick number 55 in the second round of the most recent NFL Draft. The irony is… the Chiefs traded with the Detroit Lions to get him, and Detroit is their first opponent in the NFL Season opener on Thursday, September 7th. Rice may compare himself to DeAndre Hopkins, but until we see that analogy in action, we can’t go by that.

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Justin Watson

Watson was originally drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and he was taken with the 144th pick, in the 5th round, of the 2018 NFL Draft. Watson had 315 receiving yards in the 2022 season and although several of his catches were timely, he didn’t have enough of them to make a run as the Chiefs #1 WR.

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Kadarius Toney

Toney is the most likely choice for the Chiefs #1 WR. However, he is not as sturdy as Tyreek Hill was in his stint as a Chiefs wideout. While he came on strong later in the season he still only had 171 receiving yards in the 7 games he played for K.C.. He shined in the post-season including a critical Punt return in the Super Bowl, where he set a record for the longest Punt Return ever of 65 yards.

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CHOICES, CHOICES, CHOICES

With the current group of wide receivers the Chief have in house, the obvious choice for WR #1 is… drum roll please… no one… I mean… everyone. As in, every one of the Chiefs current wideouts can take turns being the number one guy.

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The Tyreek Ills

What many Kingdom fans may be missing out on is that Tyreek Hill demanded the ball. Maybe that “demand” was Hill imposed and maybe it was Reid imposed… but the reality is, the Chiefs don’t need a #1 guy to be their main wideout. What we found out last year was… Patrick Mahomes is a much better QB without a #1 WR like Tyreek Hill.

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Justyn Ross

For those of you who are hoping Justyn Ross comes through, we’ll just have to wait and see. In any event, I seriously doubt he’s going to usurp all the other Chiefs choices and rise to the level of WR#1. He could do it. His tape this offseason looks grand. However, I think the Chiefs — and Brett Veach — have settled on the idea that many WRs will fill in admirably, just as they did in 2022. After all, they did win another Lombardi that way.

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With JuJu Smith-Schuster going to New England and Mecole Hardman signing with the Jets, their time in K.C. is over. Let’s let sleeping dogs lie. The other WRs on the Chiefs roster vying for playing time include: Ty Fryfogle, Cornell Powell, Nikko Remigio, John Ross, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, and WR/RB Jerrion Ealy.

What do you think? Do you think the Chiefs still need to go out and get a number one guy at wide receiver? Or does the PM II running his showtime offense shine better without a solitary individual getting most all of the attention?

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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne

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