Xavier Worthy shares what Chiefs' expectations are for him
Xavier Worthy was the first-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft for the Kansas City Chiefs, the two-time defending champions. That leads to a lot of expectations in how he is going to continue that success for the franchise, especially for an offense that could use the receiving help.
However, Worthy said that weight isn’t as heavy as some might think. As he said during a press conference this weekend, their only desire is that he arrives ready to compete. That’s easy enough for him considering what he’s willing to do as a rookie for his new team.
“Their expectations of me was coming in willing to work,” said Worthy. “I feel like, whatever they need me to do, whatever I have to do, I’m going to do it just to get on the field.”
That doesn’t change Worthy’s expectations for himself, though. He himself anticipates being on the field and excelling as he always has as a weapon.
“Always to play and be the best me,” Worthy added. “That’s just my expectations.”
The receiving corps has been a recent topic for Kansas City, especially this past season. Although they’ve won the last two Super Bowls, no receiver has been able to be too legitimate of a difference maker since they traded Tyreek Hill away to Miami.
Travis Kelce is in a whole different conversation on his own as a target for Patrick Mahomes. Besides him, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Rashee Rice have had various highs and lows as far as their statistics with drops being a talking point. Rice had the best season of the three as a rookie with 79 catches for 938 yards and seven scores. With that said, his upcoming year is in question due to an ongoing legal matter.
That’s where a target like Worthy comes into play. Over three seasons at Texas, Worthy caught 197 passes for 2,755 yards and 26 touchdowns. That averages out to 65.7 receptions for 918.3 yards, good for 14 per catch, and 8.7 receiving scorers a season over his collegiate career.
That’s not to mention what Worthy could also offer the Chiefs on special teams. He returned 42 balls while with the Longhorns with 40 of those being punts. Those led to 564 yards, good for 14.1 per return, and one touchdown.
Every first-year player is going to do what they can to impress their new employer on Sundays. Still, for Worthy for now, it’s more about being himself on the field and letting the impact happen as it will in Kansas City’s offense.