Getty Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Richie James Jr. with the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.
The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver corps has received a lot of criticism in 2023, but those that watch head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes II on a yearly basis understand that role players will emerge within this offense.
One “underrated” playmaker in that regard should be free agent acquisition Richie James Jr. When James was signed, the move flew way under the radar around the league considering his career year in 2022 — 569 receiving yards with four touchdowns and an 81.4% catch rate on the New York Giants.
More importantly, James fills two very key needs for the Chiefs as an experienced NFL returner and Kadarius Toney insurance. Toney is expected to elevate into a leading role in this KC offense in 2023, but concerns about health and injury history are definitely valid when it comes to the former first-round talent — especially when you consider his workload will increase.
For those reasons, Arrowhead Pride film analyst Ron Kopp highlighted James as a 2023 piece that people could be sleeping on heading toward training camp.
Chiefs Film Analyst Makes Case for WR Richie James as ‘Underappreciated’ Cog in 2023
The purpose of Kopp’s article was to note a few contributors that he feels are “underappreciated,” whether it’s been that way for some time or they’re new and somewhat unknown in the case of James.
“Richie James is the only newcomer in this article who I underrated,” Kopp wrote, admitting: “I initially dismissed the signing of wide receiver Richie James this offseason, believing he’d have a long shot at making the roster in a deep receiver room.”
“For most of the Mahomes era, the Chiefs have naturally had a player capable of returning kicks and punts on the active roster,” he went on. “Wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle are no longer here. Running back Isiah Pacheco and wide receiver Kadarius Toney helped out last year, but their elevation in the starting lineup should disqualify them from contributing here.”
“That leaves the returning role vacant,” Kopp voiced, “and I believe the most sensible solution is for Richie James to make the roster and take that role. He has returned 75 punts in his NFL career, plus 47 kickoffs. He had one kickoff return touchdown during his rookie season in 2018.”
While Kopp acknowledged that James’ ability as a returner “solidifies his [roster] spot,” he did add that another trait makes him underrated on offense.
“[James] has a similar style of play as Toney and could be used in some of the same ways if he were to get banged up,” Kopp explained. “He caught 57 passes for 569 yards and four scores in 2022 with the New York Giants; that kind of offensive production didn’t happen accidentally.”
Chiefs WR Richie James Has Found His NFL Footing
As a former seventh-round selection of the San Francisco 49ers in 2018, it took some time for James to find his footing at the professional level.
Battling injuries with San Fran, James only appeared in 40 out of a potential 66 games over a four-year span. That included a lost season in 2021, where the former Middle Tennessee State product didn’t log a single snap due to a knee injury.
Having said that, an encouraging 394-yard campaign in 2020 caught the Giants’ eye enough for their front office to take a chance on James in free agency last spring. The shifty 5-foot-9 pass-catcher rewarded them, acting as an unexpectedly integral safety net and chain mover for quarterback Daniel Jones and offensive coordinator Mike Kafka — a disciple of Coach Reid.
In fact, James’ receiving yardage and first down totals were second only to wide receiver Darius Slayton. As an athlete that was only guaranteed $100,000 at signing, James went down as a very productive addition for NYG.
In 2023, the Chiefs awarded James a little over $552,000 in guarantees, but his earnings are predominantly incentivized once again. That structure worked out well for the wideout last year, as he ended up making $1.065 million on the season.