Chiefs receiver room coming into focus
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Charles Goldman
The Kansas City Chiefs’ wide receiver group has been one of the bigger stories of the 2023 NFL offseason. With training camp in the books and the first preseason game in the bag, the strength of the group has begun to come into focus.
“Yeah it’s a deep group,” Chiefs assistant GM Mike Borgonzi told reporters on Wednesday. “I think the competition’s been great with all those guys. There are some young guys trying to figure out their way, trying to figure out the system. There’s a ton of volume that gets thrown at these guys throughout training camp. The goal is to get down the playbook and then play fast.
“So, guys like Skyy (Moore) in his second year, I think you see him out here playing a lot faster. Guys like Rashee (Rice) – he’s working through it, and he made a couple plays during the preseason game. That’s what we try to do, we want to stack these days with these young guys to build some confidence in the group.”
What once looked like it might be a weakness for Kansas City has quickly become a strength. The top of the roster seems to have improved year-over-year while the newcomers are getting up to speed quicker than ever before.
As far as leadership goes, the team seems to be passing the baton as necessary.
“That’s one thing, I think we have a good group,” Chiefs WR coach Connor Embree said on Wednesday. “I think we have a good vet group of dudes that have done it before in other places so it’s kind of by committee. All of them chime in and try to help each other out. I think that’s something special with the group we have.”
We've got BEEF of the week
Mahomes digging Rice and Ross
Speaking of wide receivers, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes weighed in on two of the most intriguing players on the roster and their performance in training camp. That’s none other than second-round pick Rashee Rice and undrafted sensation Justyn Ross.
“I thought they did a great job,” Mahomes said. “I think y’all know as much as anybody that the receiver position and the DB position at training camp are that hardest place to be (with) how much running that we do. I thought those guys got better and better and they learned how to finish and how to keep that mentality throughout an entire practice. Their talent – they have the talent – every receiver that I’ve always (worked with) has a lot of talent, but you have to learn how to be consistent every single day and I think they got better and better at that as they continue to go.”
Consistency will be key when it comes to determining roles for each of these receivers heading into the 2023 NFL season. Stacking good games on top of each other with more big performances in preseason Week 2 could go a long way toward solidifying what those roles might be.
Turf worries in preseason week 2
The field at State Farm Stadium has been the subject of much discussion since Super Bowl LVII. It admittedly did not look great in preseason Week 1, but Chiefs HC Andy Reid says he’s not worried about the field conditions heading into preseason Week 2.
“Yeah, we know what the field has been,” Reid said. “We’ve checked on it, which we do every week everywhere. It’s actually in pretty good playing shape. It might not look the best when you’re looking at it on tape, but they say it’s gripping well, and that’s what you want. You want the sturdiness of the turf.”
It’s reassuring that the team is doing their due diligence on the playing surface even though it’s only the preseason. The last thing you want to happen is players getting hurt in a meaningless game.
KC Laboratory - Chiefs vs. Cardinals NFL Preseason Week 2 Preview
KCSN’s Kent Swanson and Matt Lane preview the Kansas City Chiefs Week 2 NFL Preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals.
Transactions :
- 8/15 - Placed on Injured Reserve - TE Jody Fortson
- 8/15 - Signed to 90-man roster - LB Olakunle Fatukasi and DB Duron Lowe
- 8/15 - Waived-Injured - CB Anthony Witherstone
- 8/16 - Reverted to IR - CB Anthony Witherstone
Quick Hits:
- The Athletic’s Nate Taylor got dozens of members of the Chiefs organization to provide an oral history of Andy Reid’s training camps.
- Thursday’s KCSN Daily took a look at what’s next as the Chiefs’ 2023 training camp concluded.
- Has La’Mical Perine supplanted Deneric Prince on the Chiefs’ roster?
- Former 2015 first-round pick Danny Shelton is making a colossal push for the 53-man roster in Kansas City
