Xavier Worthy Is Entering a True Make-or-Break Season With Chiefs in 2026

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs sought after a complement for rising rookie standout Rashee Rice. Adding another talented young wide receiver to the mix sounded like a great idea at the time, and the club appeared to secure exactly that by selecting Xavier Worthy 28th overall.

But two years into his Chiefs tenure, the jury is still out on just how skilled Worthy is or whether he can turn hypothetical production into real results. That creates a pressure cooker scenario for the former Texas star as he enters a period in his development that many receivers tend to make a leap.

Does Worthy have another level to his game after flashing promise as a rookie but failing to expand on it as a sophomore? Chiefs On SI is ranking the top 25 Chiefs for the upcoming season, and the speedy third-year wideout occupies the No. 12 spot ahead of a year that could make him rise or fall in a big way in the next edition of the list.

Why Worthy Is So Important

The Chiefs invested minimally at the receiver spot. Adding Cyrus Allen in the fifth round was nice, but the team undoubtedly lost more than it gained. After all, both Marquise "Hollywood" Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster departed during the offseason.

That's 119 targets, 82 receptions, 932 yards and six touchdowns walking out the door. The club's re-signing of Tyquan Thornton keeps a vertical element in the building, but it's abundantly clear that Rice and Worthy are the Chiefs' top two wideouts.

In his games played a season ago, Worthy was on the field for 70% of available snaps. If he stays healthy (more on that later), that number could increase. As a former first-round pick, the 23-year-old was drafted to be a star. Should the receiver room fall short of expectations in 2026-27, Worthy's lack of growth could be a huge reason why.

Worthy's Strengths and Weaknesses

Speed and explosiveness are Worthy's calling cards. Breaking the NFL Scouting Combine record with a 4.21-second 40-yard dash hasn't totally shown via game speed, but his long-distance jets and field-stretching abilities remain plus traits.

At his best, Worthy can warp a game with his quickness and even factor into the run game as needed. He must always be accounted for.

The issue is that Worthy's rarely been at his best. As a rookie, he struggled with spatial awareness and ball tracking deep down the field. He played banged up for most of last season and wasn't effective at creating separation or turning on the afterburners. Although his average yards per reception increased from 10.8 to 12.7, just about everything else dropped:

Catch rate: 60.2% to 57.5%
Success rate: 56.1% to 49.3%
Yards after catch per reception: 6.9 to 4.6
Passer rating when targeted: 91.3 to 79.3
Total EPA (per SumerSports): 58.73 to 44.83

There's no sugarcoating how disappointing Worthy was. Perhaps the ESPN receiver analytics ratings will do the trick. He sat 104th out of 110 receivers in overall grade and 101st in YAC, which is supposed to be a specialty.

Questions about durability remain. On top of that, how scalable is Worthy's speed? Can he make the most of shorter NFL runways without being confined to free releases created by scheme? His perceived upside should be considered, albeit for just one final year.

What Happens If Worthy Gets Hurt?

This is the scary part — perhaps more frightening than Worthy playing but simply not being a quality option. Even last year's version of the speedster is likely better than whatever else Kansas City has in the receiver room, sans Rice and Thornton.

Those two would be asked to handle added responsibility, sure. What about a new tertiary option, though? The pickings are slim, as evidenced by Allen being joined by 2025 Day 3 draft pick Jalen Royals and special teams ace Nikko Remigio. Beyond them, none of Jason Brownlee, Jimmy Holiday or 2026 undrafted free agent Jeff Caldwell profiles as an impact player.

If Worthy goes down, it might require the Chiefs to scope out the free agent and/or trade markets.

Why We Ranked Worthy Here

Worthy doesn't deserve a pass for anything to this point, but he does deserve fairness and context. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was far from perfect on some of the aforementioned missed connections in 2024, and hitting even two or three of them could've altered Worthy's statistical output in a massive way.

Last year, a Week 1 shoulder injury forced Worthy out of the lineup briefly and then restricted him upon returning. He also fought through an ankle ailment that left him visibly sapped in the athleticism department. There's still reason to believe that an unobstructed year, paired with the addition of new receivers coach Chad O'Shea, could see him break out.

It would take a lot to go right for that to occur, however, given what Worthy's shown in years one and two. K.C. needs him to rebound in year No. 3, or else the ensuing months could get quite uncomfortable for the front office staff.

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