The Kansas City Chiefs know they need playmakers, and re-signing receiver Tyquan Thornton could be a possible solution.
The Kansas City Chiefs need playmakers, and they’ve already taken one step to solve that problem by signing running back Kenneth Walker III to a pricey free-agent deal.
But the Chiefs also already have at least one possible playmaker in their receiving room who’s shown plenty of big-play potential, and earlier this week Kansas City re-signed speedy receiver Tyquan Thornton to a two-year deal for $11 million, with a maximum value of $14 million, according to an ESPN report.
Thornton’s continued emergence was one of the few positive notes of a down season that resulted in a 6-11 final record. The 25-year old receiver posted a career-high of 438 receiving yards on just 19 receptions, including three touchdowns. He struggled early in his career with the New England Patriots, but Thornton established a strong connection with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes before a knee injury ended Mahomes’ season.
Thornton also led the team in receiving after the first five games with 272 yards and those three TDs, but the Chiefs were unable to get him going again after that. Part of the problem was the offensive line, as injuries and the absence of left tackle Josh Simmons due to personal reasons often left Mahomes frequently running for his life after that, and the quarterback didn’t get anywhere close to the time he needed to connect on deep strikes with Thornton.
That’s likely to change, though, and the changes the Chiefs are currently implementing probably played a role in this re-signing. Walker was signed to run effectively between the tackles, which hasn’t been a priority in Kansas City, but it likely will be now given that Mahomes’ mobility will be limited when he returns.
The receiving room may look very different as well. Rashee Rice is currently facing the possibility of another suspension after a civil suit filed against him based on domestic-violence allegations, which raises the possibility that the Chiefs could move on from Rice.
Kansas City will also try to get former number-one pick Xavier Worthy back into the offense, as Worthy was yet another forgotten receiver due to his injury issues and the protection problems. The Chiefs may also draft a receiver with one of the two first-round picks they currently hold in the upcoming draft, so it will be interesting to see where Thornton lands on the depth chart when the dust settles on Kansas City’s offensive moves this offseason.