Andy Reid On Chiefs Adding 'Heck of a Football Player' Xavier Worthy
Speaking to the media on Thursday night, Reid addressed Kansas City's newest wideout addition.
As expected, it took a bit of patience, but the Kansas City Chiefs made a first-round selection on night one of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy was the pick by way of a four-spot trade-up with the Buffalo Bills, giving the reigning Super Bowl champions a speedy weapon on offense. Head coach Andy Reid later admitted that Kansas City considered the possibility of someone else leapfrogging them for Worthy's services, prompting the move.
Following the Worthy selection, Reid spoke to the media and shared some initial thoughts on his newest pass catcher.
"We're glad to add him on board," Reid said. "We think he's a heck of a football player, number one. He does a few different things. He's a good wide receiver and also a good special teams returner, and he'll end up doing both to start things off with. He'll just work into that rotation when we get him, the wide receiver rotation, with Hollywood (Brown) and Rashee (Rice) and (Travis) Kelce and the other fellas. It should give Pat another weapon there in which to use."
Worthy, who burst onto the scene as a freshman at Texas and has been a draft prospect ever since, was someone the Chiefs "marked" earlier in the process. Reid compares his body type to former Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson, who had plenty of success for Reid in the past.
Kansas City is aware of Worthy's 165-pound frame, but the club doesn't seem one bit bothered by it. He makes up for a lack of prototypical wideout size with football character and toughness, according to Reid.
"He's not a big kid, at least, weight-wise," Reid said. "He's got good height, he's just not very heavy. But I think you'll see this toughness that he's got, which jumped out at me. And then when you talk to their coach, Coach (Steve) Sarkisian and I are close. He kept talking about how smart he was, he's got great football instincts, and he's a tremendous worker. In this offense, you've got to be able to do that and have those characteristics."
Last season, the Chiefs' offense struggled at various points in the year. A large reason why was a poor wide receiver room. Rice led the way as a rookie, which was equal parts a testament to his skill and the gravity of the situation. If Rice hadn't been forced into premier production late in the campaign, Kansas City may not have made a successful run through the playoffs. Things were too close for comfort in 2023-24, leading to some improvement during the offseason.
So far, adding Brown and Worthy is a nice way to insulate the room. Regardless of whether Rice's off-the-field saga results in disciplinary action from the NFL, the Chiefs should have a formidable receiver trio in time for the most important stretch of the season. Worthy and Brown, particularly, inject speed and playmaking into an offense that desperately needed it. Things figure to be different at One Arrowhead Drive this coming season.
Now on the other side of a successful first round, Reid is excited for a somewhat new-look offense.
"Both of those two can run well," Reid said. "I think both love to play the game and are good football players. I think that'll help us. It doesn't hurt to have down-the-field speed. We've functioned without the great speed down the field and done well but if you have an opportunity to get somebody that you think is a good player — just not a speed guy, but a good football player — I think you probably need to take advantage of that."
