Richie James fitting in with Chiefs splendidly

Ahead of the 2021 NFL season, Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach put in a call to San Francisco 49ers GM John Lynch to talk about former Middle Tennessee WR Richie James.

The Chiefs had scouted James when they were doing work on his teammate, CB Charvarius Ward. James was entering the final year of his rookie contract and some other players were performing well in San Francisco. Veach gauged what it would take to make a trade for James later when roster cuts occurred. The two sides were set to touch base again, but a knee injury for James that required surgery would end talks.

As we’ve learned in the past, Veach always gets his guys eventually. When the opportunity came to acquire James in free agency this year, he jumped at it, and it worked even better than the front office had hoped.

The transition from Mike Kafka’s offense with the New York Giants to Matt Nagy and Andy Reid’s system in Kansas City has been flawless for James. So much so, that the Chiefs emphasized getting young receivers repetitions in preseason Week 1, rather than an abundance of work for James.

“He’s been working in with (Patrick) Pat (Mahomes) in the practices,” Chiefs HC Andy Reid said of James. “We tried to get some of the young guys some reps. We have a pretty good feel for him, he’s a good player. We’ve got good tape in this offense of him. There was a little more emphasis put on four (Rashee Rice) and eight (Justyn Ross) in the game and get some work with him (Patrick Mahomes).”

The familiarity with James extends beyond the front office and scheme. Chiefs WR coach Connor Embree’s brother, Taylor Embree, was an offensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 2017-2019. His father Jon Embree was formerly the tight ends coach for the 49ers.

“I actually have known Richie (James) for a while,” Embree said. “He was out at San Fran (The 49ers) and I got to work with him for a little out there. He’s a true vet. He knows what to do, ever since day one he’s been in here, he picked up the playbook real fast, and then if you tell him something once, he’s not going to make the same mistake. I like it.”

James has quickly taken to that veteran role and built chemistry with Patrick Mahomes. Working with the MVP quarterback has allowed James to pick things up even quicker than he had expected.

“Great, like I said getting the opportunity to work with him,” James explained. “He gives you a lot of advice of where he’s thinking and you know where you should be at when he releases the ball. Like I said, he’s running the show right now. You can tell he’s been in the system for a while, and he knows where the ball is going to go pre-snap. He does a really good job of telling you ‘Hey expect the ball right here at this moment.’ (So) eyes better be up, hands ready.”

The sixth-year wideout didn’t get an opportunity to showcase that connection with Mahomes in preseason Week 1, though he did have a great showing with Blaine Gabbert and the second-team offense. Just know that when the regular season arrives, it’ll be full speed ahead for James and Mahomes.