It appeared Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy was trending toward a Week 3 return, but that changed on Saturday, September 20, as The Athletic’s lead NFL insider Dianna Russini reported the following.
Worthy (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis this week, but his return will have to wait.
Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy is not expected to play Sunday night against the [New York] Giants, per source,” Russini relayed. Adding: “Worthy (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis this week, but his return will have to wait.”
This injury update was also echoed and confirmed by ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter.
Not long after, the Chiefs officially ruled out Worthy in an announcement, noting that he would not be traveling with the team to New Jersey. It appears Kansas City will be without Worthy for at least one more week.
Chiefs Veteran WRs Hollywood Brown & JuJu Smith-Schuster Will Once Again Be Called Upon Without Xavier Worthy
Without Worthy and suspended star Rashee Rice, the Chiefs will once again look to their veterans to take the lead on Sunday night.
That means a healthy dose of Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, and Travis Kelce and Noah Gray at tight end. The only difference is that KC might also have drafted rookie Jalen Royals this time around.
Royals is officially questionable to play against the Giants, although the youngster did log a full practice on Friday, while Worthy was limited.
Brown was quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ go-to receiver in Week 1, catching 10 of 16 targets for 99 yards. He struggled to replicate that level of production against the Philadelphia Eagles, however, catching all 5 of his targets for just 30 yards receiving.
It was a similar story for Smith-Schuster, who was totally shut down by the Eagles‘ secondary after recording 5 receptions for 55 yards in Week 1. The veteran pass-catcher only had 1 catch for 5 yards in Week 2.
Behind those two, Thornton has been the home run threat so far. He’s had longs of 38 and 49 in each of the first two outings, including 1 touchdown. But he’s only had 4 receptions total.
If Royals does indeed debut, it’ll be interesting to see what he brings to the table after exciting throughout OTAs and training camp.
Otherwise, it’ll be more of the same for the Chiefs as they try to nail down their first win of the season. It’s been a tough start for this KC offense, which could really use a breakout showing against the Giants.
What Andy Reid Had to Say About Xavier Worthy’s Injury Recovery on Friday
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke on Worthy’s injury status on Friday, in case you missed it. Below is a refresher on what he had to say.
“I know questions will be [about] Xavier and so on,” Reid told reporters on September 19. “I’ve just got to see. I mean, he practiced today and did a good job. Royals practiced today. Both of them ran around pretty good. We’ll just see how it goes.”
Later, Reid noted that Worthy has “done a nice job” and can still “run fast,” but deferred to the training staff on his availability, or lack thereof.
“Listen, I leave it up to the doctors and [lead athletic trainer] Rick [Burkholder], and whatever they say, they say,” the Chiefs HC said, remaining aloof about Worthy’s status. “We’ve practiced with him, we’ve practiced without him. That’s how it goes.”
That was all Reid really had to say about Worthy’s shoulder ahead of Week 3.
Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy’s Injury Status Takes a 180 Ahead of Week 3