The Kansas City Chiefs are in an odd position with their wide receiver corps.
They added Chad O’Shea to their coaching staff during the offseason, who has a long track record of being a successful receivers coach. Kansas City also re-signed Tyquan Thornton to a new two-year contract.
Its top receiver, Rashee Rice, was cleared of any potential violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy after an investigation for abuse allegations. The Chiefs have a solid trio of Rice, Thornton, and Xavier Worthy to work with in 2026, but not a lot of quality depth beyond them.
Kansas City Chiefs Missed out on Signing FA WR Jauan Jennings
GettyWR Jauan Jennings
Jennings was arguably the top remaining receiver in free agency before signing with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. While appearing on the Pat McAfee Show on Friday, NFL insider Adam Schefter revealed that the Chiefs showed interest in signing Jennings before he ultimately ended up in Minnesota.
The Dolphins, Commanders, and the Chiefs were interested..
I believe Minnesota was the only place that he visited” ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive
Jennings signed a one-year contract with the Vikings that has the potential to be worth up to $13 million. It is unknown what held the Chiefs back from landing Jennings. However, he would have been a good addition. In 2025 Jennings recorded 55 receptions, 643 yards, and nine touchdowns with the San Francisco 49ers.
Those numbers would have led all Chiefs receivers last season, although it is important to remember that Rice played in just eight games. Unlike most of Kansas City’s receivers, Jennings is a big target at 6-foot-3 and excels at making contested catches. He would have also been a welcomed run blocker in the Chiefs’ revamped rushing attack.
Jennings could have provide Kansas City with another much-needed redzone threat, an area in which it has struggled in over the past two seasons. Chiefs fans remember Jennings well from Super Bowl LVIII when he recorded four catches for 42 yards and one touchdown, while also throwing a touchdown pass to running back Christian McCaffrey on a trick play.
Chiefs Banking on Young WRs to Step up in 2026
GettyChiefs WR Jalen Royals
Ideally, a couple of Kansas City’s young receivers will take a big step forward, eliminating the need to add a veteran. Coach Andy Reid recently gave third-year man Xavier Worthy a big vote of confidence. Worthy spent much of the 2025 season dealing with major ailments, limiting how the Chiefs could utilize him.
“That was a unique deal,” Reid said. “I would tell you that we kind of, after that, we were afraid to do certain things with (Worthy). So I think him coming back healthy, I think opens up that whole picture you saw during training camp, where he had a whole bunch of different routes in there. “He’s fearless across the middle. As a matter of fact, that’s one of the best things he does, is working underneath and over the top in that. So we kind of stayed away from that.”
Another receiver to keep your eye on his Jalen Royals. The Chiefs selected him in the fourth round of last year’s draft, he impressed during training camp and preseason. Unfortunately, a knee injury derailed his momentum and cost him several games. By the time he returned, he was buried on the depth chart.
Pushing Royals will be 2026 fifth-round pick Cyrus Allen, who is already considered to be a polished route runner with good speed and separation ability. In 2025 Allen caught 51 passes for 674 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Chiefs Come up Short on Signing 2,500-Yard Free Agent WR