Speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy seemed like the perfect addition for Kansas City's offense when he was drafted in the first round in 2024, but the returns have been mixed so far.
It appeared to be a match made in heaven when the Kansas City Chiefs selected University of Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy with the 28th pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Though he was slight at 5-11, 160 pounds, his speed became legendary when he clocked a 4.21-second 40-yard dash time - the fastest ever - at the 2024 NFL Draft Combine, and the wisdom was "you can't hurt what you can't catch."
Despite winning three Super Bowls in five years, including a 25-22 defeat of the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII two months before the draft, in this golden age of Kansas City football the Chiefs had never really had a receiver that could take the lid off a defense.
So, Kansas City was generally given high grades for the Worthy selection, with the pundits anxious to see what offensive mastermind Andy Reid could scheme up for quarterback Patrick Mahomes after adding Worthy to a roster that included tight end Travis Kelce, running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco, and receivers DeAndre Hopkins, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson.
Worthy's first-year results were promising as he finished with 59 receptions on 98 targets for 638 yards (10.8 average) with six touchdowns. He added 104 yards rushing on 20 carries with another three TDs on the ground. In all, he accounted for 22% of the Chiefs' 41 rushing and receiving touchdowns during the season. The season culminated with Kansas City advancing to Super Bowl LIX, though they were defeated 40-22 by the Philadelphia Eagles. Worthy did his part with eight catches for 157 yards and two TDs, though the scores did come when the Chiefs were trailing 34-0 and 40-14.
With that rookie-year foundation in place, big things were expected from Worthy in 2025, but his season went sideways in the first game of the season when he injured a shoulder. That was followed later by an ankle injury with the ailments limiting Worthy to 14 games played with 42 catches for 532 yards and just one TD as the Chiefs season spiraled into a 6-11 mess.
As the 2026 season approached, it was labeled a make-or-break campaign for Worthy as he looked to show he could at least return to form if not make a significant leap in production. So far, the results do not appear promising. In the Chiefs' 31-10 season-opening defeat of the Denver Broncos Worthy finished with three catches on six targets for a paltry 18 yards. He followed that with five catches on seven targets for 25 yards and a 1-yard TD catch in Kansas City's 33-30 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts. So that's eight catches for 43 yards and a score in two games.
That meager production prompted Brandon Kiley of Arrowhead Pride via Bleacher Report to wonder when, if ever, the Chiefs would see the best of Worthy?
"The Chiefs spent the offseason telling anyone who would listen that this year would be different," Kiley wrote. "Worthy would be healthy, and we would see a return to the player we watched in the second half of the 2024 campaign. I was optimistic. This would be the year he proved the doubters wrong, once and for all. I'm still waiting for it to happen."
According to Kiley, Worthy seems to be lacking in confidence and is shying away from contact, all while being unable to consistently win when running deep routes. In a broader sense, Kiley notes that of the 60 receivers who were drafted in the first round between 2011 and 2025, Worthy ranks 32nd or lower in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. Most damning for a supposed deep threat, Worthy's 6.6 yards per target ranks 51st of those 60 receivers.
Kiley concludes: "The Chiefs offense doesn’t need Worthy to step up the way it once did. But it sure would be nice if he could. I’m still holding out hope, but patience is running thin."
The third-year wideout's next chance to impress comes on Sunday when the Chiefs visit the Miami Dolphins (12 p.m. CT). Through two games, the 0-2 Dolphins have allowed a league-worst 78.8% of passes to be completed against them with opposing passers compiling a 118.5 quarterback rating (31st) while averaging 8.6 yards per attempt (T29th). If that doesn't sound like a fertile environment for Worthy to strut his stuff the Chiefs may soon have to face the fact that that fertile environment might not exist.
