Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid compares rookie WR Xavier Worthy to a former player he coached with the Eagles
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday. Among the numerous topics he discussed with McAfee and his crew was rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy. After Worthy set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.21 seconds during the NFL Combine, many wondered if the Chiefs would be […]
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid joined The Pat McAfee Show on Wednesday.
Among the numerous topics he discussed with McAfee and his crew was rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy.
After Worthy set the record for the fastest 40-yard dash time at 4.21 seconds during the NFL Combine, many wondered if the Chiefs would be able to draft him at 28 overall. They did exactly that, and he has been a natural fit for Reid's offense. McAfee asked Reid about how he comes up with different ways to get Worthy the ball.
"Yeah, (Chiefs offensive coordinator) Matt Nagy does a good job with that," Reid said. "He puts him in a lot of different positions where he can operate. The kid is willing to do it. I would tell you that having Hollywood (Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown) here has really helped with that part. I mean, Hollywood wants to play every down. He wants to play every spot. He's a smaller guy, so he fits in there, and kind of has the same body type. And likewise with (former NFL WR) DeSean Jackson, I was lucky to have DeSean, and we put him everywhere. He was an every down guy, and that's what Worthy wants to be. And he's willing to work at it."
Reid using Worthy like he used Jackson back in his days with the Philadelphia Eagles should be music to Chiefs fans' ears. In five years with Reid, Jackson had two seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards and two with over 900, with 23 receiving touchdowns. Jackson also ran for 371 yards and three touchdowns during that span.
Let's take a look at Jackson's numbers from his rookie year compared to Worthy's.
Jackson: 62 receptions, 912 yards, two touchdowns, 96 rushing yards, one rushing TD.
Worthy: 59 receptions, 638 yards, six touchdowns, 105 rushing yards, three rushing TDs.
While the amount of catches and rushing yards are basically the same, Jackson racked up considerably more receiving yards. However, Worthy found the endzone seven more times than Jackson. The Chiefs struggled with the deep passing game for much of the season thanks to injuries within the WR corps and inconsistent play from the left tackle position.
If Kansas City can make improvements along the offensive line next year, combined with getting Rashee Rice back from injury to help open the passing game up more, Worthy could be in line for a monster 2025 season. Before we get to that point, the Chiefs will lean heavily on Worthy to make big plays against a very good Eagles' defense in Super Bowl LIX.
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