Missouri’s Saint Joseph Wide receiver Xavier Worthy of the Kansas City Chiefs, like many rookies before him, had an eager expression as he descended the large hill to the Missouri Western State practice fields. He smiled, sent a brief message to one of the team’s social media managers, and fixed his eyes on the place where his NFL career began.
The best thing going for Worthy right now is that his first training camp practice went rather well. Wednesday was the first of three days of abbreviated practices designed to assist rookies and quarterbacks get used to each other.
Unlike linebacker Leo Chenal and receiver Rashee Rice before him, he did not throw up. Additionally, Worthy was spared from participating in every repetition—a common occurrence when fewer than half of the team is on the field. Worthy’s ability to complete Wednesday’s practice without re-injuring his left hamstring after missing the majority of the Chiefs’ offseason program due to a muscle strain was his strongest attribute.
“I’m working my way back in,” said Worthy, whose left thigh was heavily taped. “It felt good just to be back out here with the guys and just being able to play football again. As I go, (the hamstring) is going to continue getting better.”
In order to choose Worthy with the 28th choice in the first round of the NFL Draft in April, the Chiefs and the Buffalo Bills executed a little trade. The Chiefs exchanged the Nos. 32, 95, and 221 picks to Buffalo in exchange for the Nos. 28, 133, and 248 picks, moving up four positions from their original first-round selection.
Worthy was the fifth receiver picked in the first round, and general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid thought he was the best skill-position player to go with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. With his uncommon speed, Worthy has the potential to be a big-play threat for the Chiefs offense, which needs more speed and long completions. At the NFL combine, Worthy, a 5-foot-11, 165-pound player, set a record in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.21 seconds.
However, Worthy’s growth was impeded when he was hurt in May, the first week of the Chiefs’ voluntary practices.
“It was driving him crazy to have to watch,” Reid said Tuesday of Worthy. “You don’t want to be the (first-round) pick, come in and be sitting on the bench and watching. He’s a competitive kid who wants to be in there. We are going to get him going. In this rookie camp, these (positional substitution) lines are short, so they are going to get plenty of reps. You just don’t want them re-hurting the (hamstring) and setting himself back.”
First day out pic.twitter.com/LqMzKzg7zp
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 17, 2024
Reid tried his best on Wednesday to lighten Worthy’s workload, but timing will be crucial as the rookie is anticipated to spend a large portion of camp building his rapport with Mahomes on long passes and passes against zone coverage.
Because Rice, a second-year player, is anticipated to serve a multi-game ban to begin the season for breaking the NFL’s personal conduct rules, the Chiefs will probably need to rely on Worthy early in September as well. Rice was the driver of a Lamborghini sport utility vehicle that was engaged in a multi-car crash in northeast Dallas in late March. The impact set off a chain reaction that affected four other vehicles, according to police.
“I mean, there’s no easing,” Mahomes said of Worthy on Tuesday. “He’s got to be ready to go. We’ve got a lot of competition on this offense. Xavier got a lot of mental work in during OTAs and minicamp, but it’s time to go now. Y’all saw with Rashee last year and some of the throwing-up days he had. We’re going to push you to the limit and prepare yourself to be ready to go for the season.”
Worthy did experience a glitch early on in the workday on Wednesday, though. Worthy ran a straightforward slant route in response to Mahomes’ first pass of the opening seven-on-seven play, which was intended for the center of the field. Because the pass caught Worthy’s left pinky, he dropped the ball and had to leave the field for a short while. The little finger was taped to the ring finger by a trainer.
“I’ll be all right,” Worthy said.
Some Xavier Worthy for the Timeline. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/BNxZBdYjkn
— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) July 17, 2024
Worthy did not misdirect any more passes once he got back on the pitch. His first standout play was when he beat third-year cornerback Nazeeh Johnson’s tight coverage while running a long route close to the sideline. Ian Book, the quarterback, placed his pass in the right spot so that Worthy could make a diving catch.
“He made a few good catches, so it’s exciting to see him out there,” rookie safety Jaden Hicks said of Worthy. “He’s definitely a deep-threat guy, so he’s going to be a fun watch this year.”
When the other receivers were running routes over the offseason, Worthy adhered to a routine: he stood next to offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who radioed the play call into Mahomes’ helmet.
“I took the time to really learn,” Worthy said. “I asked the questions I needed to ask. I feel that it really helped me.
“In college, I never missed a game. Having that (injury) happen, it’s kind of frustrating, but I got the chance to learn and get better in a different way, learning the playbook.”
Worthy’s alignment or pre-snap problems were absent during Wednesday’s practice. His timing was also pretty superb when it came to all of the quarterbacks.
Worthy used a crafty whip move to split Johnson on the outside during a last seven-on-seven play inside the red zone. Worthy made the reception close to his shins and turned upfield, despite Mahomes’ low pass.
“It’s a good start,” Worthy said of his first practice. “I want to be the best me, the best version of myself. If I do that, I’ll be in a good spot.”
(Photo: Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)
