Chiefs HC Andy Reid said he had to alter WR Xavier Worthy's role last year after his Week 1 shoulder injury. Worthy went down with a dislocated shoulder on his third snap of the season. He missed the next two games and then averaged just 3.2 catches and 40.9 yards over the final 13 contests.
Reid on the impact of Worthy's injury: “That was a unique deal. I would tell you that we kind of, after that, we were afraid to do certain things with (Worthy). So I think him coming back healthy, I think opens up that whole picture you saw during training camp, where he had a whole bunch of different routes in there.”
Worthy wore a brace on that injured shoulder for much of last season. And, as The Athletic's Jesse Newell points out, his route tree changed.
"According to Pro Football Focus’ data, Worthy ran a higher percentage of crossing routes in 2024 — 19 percent of his snaps — than any other receiver with 50 targets or more," Newell writes. "In 2025, though? That percentage dipped to 14 percent, as Worthy was 28th in crossing-route percentage while also falling behind teammates Hollywood Brown (15 percent) and Rashee Rice (15 percent)."
Fewer crossing routes played a part in Worthy's yards after catch per reception plummeting from 7.1 as a rookie to 4.9 last year.
Worthy is healthy now. And the Chiefs seemingly gave him a vote of confidence by not making any major additions to the WR corps this offseason. That leaves Worthy as a heavy favorite to operate as the No. 2 behind Rashee Rice.
The former first-round pick is still only 23 and carries some bounce-back appeal in 2026.
The best part? Worthy is sitting in Round 10 in current best-ball ADP. He's an intriguing shot at that price.
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