The Kansas City Chiefs have high expectations for Xavier Worthy after selecting him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Although he’s a rookie, the defending champs envision him as a high-value contributor, having set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash time in NFL Scouting Combine history.
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On his part, he must learn Andy Reid’s offense and make up for the missed time connecting with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Unfortunately, Worthy squandered those opportunities by missing much of the Chiefs’ offseason activities before training camp.
It’s good news for the Chiefs that Worthy has reported to camp. He can compensate for lost time by absorbing every detail of Kansas City’s offensive playbook. The former Texas standout must prove himself worthy of a roster spot by putting his blazing speed to good use.
However, although Worthy is back to full strength, sports media personality Nick Wright expressed concerns about the wideout’s absence from most of the Chiefs’ OTAs. On his ‘What’s Wright’ podcast, the FS1 host pointed out that hamstring injuries are notoriously difficult to fully recover from. Just when a player feels strong enough to return to the field, the injury can resurface, disrupting any momentum they’ve built.
Notably, Worthy’s hamstring injury caused him to miss not only the OTAs but also the three-day mandatory minicamp. While it’s too early to predict how this will impact his game, Wright referenced Christian Watson’s frustrating pattern of playing several games before his hamstring injury flares up again.
Wright shared a plausible explanation for Worthy’s injury, which he heard from ‘NFL Daily with Gregg Rosenthal’ co-host Jourdan Rodrigue. Surprisingly accurate, athletes who train specifically for the Scouting Combine often suffer soft-tissue injuries after the festivities. If the injury persists, concerns regarding his availability during the regular season will arise.
Patrick Mahomes Not Giving Xavier Worthy a Free Pass
The Chiefs made Worthy their 2024 Round 1 choice, not just because he’s quick. Instead, they saw him as a difference-maker who can help them win games. However, the stakes are higher with the Chiefs this season, as they aspire for an unprecedented third straight Super Bowl title.
Therefore, Patrick Mahomes is already setting the tone for Worthy, even if the latter skipped much time before training camp. The two-time NFL MVP expects the rookie wideout to have a quick learning curve because they can’t afford him making so-called rookie mistakes.
Mahomes won’t give Worthy and his fellow rookies a grace period because they are competing for an immortal place in NFL history. They must be ready from the get-go, even if it means pushing beyond their limits during the grueling training camp.
“There’s no easing [him in]. He’s going to have to be ready to go. We got a lot of competition on this offense… He got a lot of mental work in these last few weeks that he had during OTAs and minicamp, but it’s time to go now.”
The Chiefs will need more of Worthy, primarily if the NFL will bestow a suspension for Rashee Rice, which has been a quiet subject as the offseason progressed. As Wright pointed out, the NFL might wait for the court decision before giving a corresponding penalty. If that’s the case, Rice might not serve this suspension until next season, giving Worthy another fellow wideout to compete.
