Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
Week 4 marked yet another game in which the Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver room underwhelmed.
Kansas City’s top three pass catchers in the 23-20 win over the New York Jets were tight end Travis Kelce (6-60), running back Isiah Pacheco (3-43), and tight end Noah Gray (1-34-1). The wide receivers on the roster collectively had 7 receptions for 65 yards.
The Chiefs wide receiver room is one of the top weaknesses on the entire roster, which is why Sports Illustrated’s NFL insider Matt Verderame is calling for the defending Super Bowl champions to re-arrange the pecking order in the receiver room.
“The Chiefs need to lean into Rashee Rice, and start giving more snaps to Justyn Ross,” Verderame wrote on Twitter/X on October 2. “If Ross can’t get the job done, fine, but figure that out. Because rolling Skyy Moore out there and getting zero receptions from him in two different games is unacceptable.”
Justyn Ross Has Been Extremely Limited Through 4 Weeks
Rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice is leading all Chiefs receivers in targets (19) and catches (13) through four games. Yet he routinely has had at least one ugly drop in each game, which could limit his ability to receive even more targets moving forward unless he can become more consistent.
Justyn Ross, however, could absolutely be on the field more moving forward, because through four games his involvement on game day has been minimal.
Ross has been on the field for a total of 48 offensive snaps through the first month of the regular season, according to Pro Football Reference. 29 of those snaps came during Kansas City’s 41-10 win over the Chicago Bears in Week 3. In Week 4, he was on the field for 4 snaps. Overall, he has 1 catch for 4 yards this season.
Though Ross — who sat out the entirety of the 2022 season to recover from foot surgery — was expected to be slowly worked into Kansas City offense, his playing time on game day has been much less than expected, especially when considering how mediocre the remainder of the receiver room has looked.
Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore were expected to be the top receivers for the Chiefs in terms of production this season, yet Toney only has 57 yards on 9 receptions this season and Moore has 112 yards on 7 receptions and 1 touchdown (it’s worth noting that 70 of Moore’s total yardage came in Week 2).
Something needs to change within Kansas City’s receiver room. Trading for an established veteran should be considered by the front office prior to the October 31 trade deadline. But shifting the pecking order in the receiver room is the best option for the coaching staff at this point given the team’s financial situation.
The Chiefs can start by getting Justyn Ross more involved.
Twitter Reacts to Chiefs’ Receiving Efforts
Users on Twitter reacted to Kansas City’s receiving efforts through the first four games of the regular season.
“The #Chiefs Wide Receivers are the worst group in the NFL for a playoff team,” one user wrote. “None of these guys are better than a #3 NFL WR. MUST invest in 2 established WRs this offseason.”
“Chiefs wide receivers are going to actually kill me,” another user wrote. “Rice and Toney are the only ones who can get open but they are also the most mistake prone I think they just have to bite the bullet and play Rice fully over Skyy.”
Chiefs wide receivers are going to actually kill me. Rice and Toney are the only ones who can get open but they are also the most mistake prone
I think they just have to bite the bullet and play Rice fully over Skyy.
Graphic:@PFF_NateJahnke
“Wasn’t Matt Nagy the guy that coordinated the Chiefs offense the year they had 0 TD catches by wide receivers? Why did they think it would work to bring him back?” another user wrote.
Wasn’t Matt Nagy the guy that coordinated the Chiefs offense the year they had 0 TD catches by wide receivers? Why did they think it would work to bring him back?
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Insider Calls for Chiefs to Give Fan-Favorite WR More Playing Time: ‘Figure That Out’