Chiefs Coach Has Interesting Take on Preventing Another Worthy Injury

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City wide receivers coach Connor Embree spoke to reporters prior to Thursday’s practice. The Chiefs (1-2) are hosting the Baltimore Ravens (1-2) on Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium (3:25 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan).

To view his comments, watch below.

On seeing Rashee Rice back in the meeting room:

“Yeah, no, it's been great having Rashee back. He brings a lot of energy. He brings that leadership, and he can help out the young guys. So, it's great having Rashee back. Everyone in the room is excited to have him.”

On Xavier Worthy returning to full practice:

“Oh yeah. He's ready to go, just like you said. I mean, it's been a couple months since he's really played a game. He played three snaps in the first game and has been out since. So, he's ready to go.”

On what went through his head when Worthy went down, whether it was ‘not again:’

“I mean, it's really kind of just that next-man-up mentality. You can't really think about it, especially in the middle of the game. You can't just feel bad for yourself, or the team can't feel bad for themselves. So, it's kind of just next man up and whoever's there, we got to go to work and try to win this game.”

On whether veterans like JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown helped with that:

“Oh, for sure. Yeah, that definitely helps having someone that's done it before, that's been there, that Pat (Mahomes) trusts. That's big. That helps out a lot.”

On what’s encouraged him most about Tyquan Thornton:

“Tyquan, his mindset. And then he's been consistent ever since he got here last year. He's worked hard. He’s the same guy every day. And he's another dude that brings energy to our room. He's funny. He's very funny. But I really enjoy coaching Tyquan. He's one of those guys, anything you ask him to do, he's willing to do it.”

On getting Thornton at his lowest career moment last November, after the Patriots released him:

“Yeah, I think it helped having JuJu here, him knowing JuJu, and then JuJu knowing kind of his situation there. And then kind of how we do things here. So, having JuJu helped him a lot. So that was probably the biggest probably help for him. And then, just like anything else, it's all about timing. You see it all over the league. It's some people do good at some spots, and then do bad at other spots, and vice versa. So, I think it truly is just, it's good timing. He fits our offense and he's put the work in.”

Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton (80) makes a reception for a touchdown defended by Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (27) during the fourth quarter of the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

On what he expects from rookie Jalen Royals over these next few weeks:

“Yeah, I expect him to get in and play. He had a really good offseason and training camp and preseason, and then kind of got hurt at the end. But he was trending up the whole way. I really like, again, another great guy to have in the room. He's very quiet. He works hard. And again, another guy, you ask him to do something, he'll do it.”

On whether he’s said anything to Worthy about protecting his shoulder from contact:

“We've had a couple guys on the team with the same injury. JuJu is one of those guys. He's kind of talked to him, of kind of what to expect and kind of what to watch out for. But no, there's no, I'm not like, ‘Hey, once you get the ball, slide or jump out of bounds.’ He's got to play football. If he's out there, he's got to protect himself, whether he's got an injury or not. So, we haven't really talked to him about like, ‘Hey, go slide’ or anything. So, he's out there, he's gonna be playing.”

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