Chiefs additions look to reignite deep passing game
By Calvin Silvers
The back-to-back defending champion Kansas City Chiefs will once again showcase a new receiving room heading into this season.
Despite regular season challenges with drops and offensive inconsistency in 2023, the Chiefs produced the ninth-best offense in the league, with Travis Kelce and rookie Rashee Rice being relied upon early and often.
The team put up 5,972 total yards of offense, 4,188 of those coming via the passing game and 1,784 yards on the ground.
Add speedy rookie Xavier Worthy from Texas and free agent Marquise Brown to the pass-catching mix for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs hope the additions of Worthy and Brown will stretch the field and reignite the offense’s deep passing game, much like in 2018 when Mahomes threw for 50 touchdown passes and more than 5,000 yards.
General Manager Brett Veach feels confident in the assortment of weapons brought in for Mahomes, whose 7.0 yards per throw on average were the lowest of his career last season. Overall, Mahomes ranked sixth in passing yards (4,183) and eighth in both passing touchdowns (27) and QBR (63.1).
The Chiefs’ wide receiver additions could prove to be even more needed if Rice ends up missing games this season following an April arrest for a multiple-vehicle car crash in Dallas.
Even in a down year, 12-year veteran Travis Kelce registered another highly-productive season, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards. Time and time again, savvy route-running and veteran experience allowed him to create openings.
Kelce finished the year with 93 receptions for 984 yards, with the next closest in receiving production being Rice with 79 receptions for 938 yards.
The Chiefs once again bring in one of the best trios of interior offensive linemen in the league with center Creed Humphrey and All-Pros Joe Thuney and Trey Smith. However, this upcoming season could be the final year they all anchor the interior together with Humphrey and Smith both being free agents in 2025.
The Chiefs began preparing for that possibility by drafting tackle Kingsley Suamataia, center Hunter Nourzad and guard C.J. Hanson in the 2024 NFL Draft.
As for players in the backfield, the Chiefs will continue to roll with their steal from the 2022 draft in running back Isiah Pacheco, who once again provided an effective power-back style for the Super Bowl champions.
Last season, Pacheco started 14 games, rushing for 935 yards and seven touchdowns. Pacheco fumbled just one time all last regular season.
