3 Chiefs Week 1 starters who will be benched by October and why

The Kansas City Chiefs come into 2024 with big expectations, as they should every season in which Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid are at the top of the team.

With that in mind, the leashes on many of the players in the starting lineup will be very short. If a player isn't producing, Kansas City will find somebody that will and they will find them quickly, whether it's a backup, a trade or a free agent signing.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Chiefs looking at a much different starting lineup in October, but there are a few key pieces that standout as potentially being replaced.

3. WR Skyy Moore

Patrick Mahomes' receiving core is one of those positions that has been quite the revolving door since Mahomes took over. As of now, the starting receivers for Mahomes are Skyy Moore, Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice. But, when Hollywood Brown returns from injury, one of these three is going to lose the starting spot, dropping down into a depth role that still sees time.

The obvious answer here is Skyy Moore.

Rashee Rice is the best wideout on the team and he's primed for a big year. He was a second-round selection for the Chiefs last season, where he saw over 100 targets and recorded nearly 1,000 receiving yards. This season, he could very easily eclipse 1,000 yards and see even more targets.

Xavier Worthy was the team's first-round selection this year. He features game-breaking speed and the potential to be one of the best deep threats in the game. His spot is safe unless he ends up injured.

Moore is just out of luck in this spot. He's still young and developing, but the team will just have better options than him with Brown returning.

Moore will still see time and get targets, but it just won't be in a starting role.

2. SS Justin Reid

This one is a bit difficult to look at. So far, there is only speculation here and nothing has really indicated that this switch will happen anytime in the near future.

With that in mind, Justin Reid was pretty bad in coverage last year. The Chiefs defense, as a whole, made up for it, but it doesn't really change the fact that Kansas City didn't see quality production from Reid.

The option to replace him is the team's fourth-round pick from 2024, Jaden Hicks. Hicks is currently the backup safety in a three-man safety room. I would imagine that the Chiefs defense will see a good chunk of all three of their safeties early on in the year.

This would give Hicks the perfect opportunity to outplay Reid and earn his spot, rather than Reid playing poorly.

Again, this is far from a certainty and definitely not something that is in the works right now. But when looking a few months into the future, this is the kind of move that I could definitely see the Chiefs making if Reid continues trending downward in coverage.

1. PR Xavier Worthy

Okay, I want to make this as clear as I possibly can. This is saying that Xavier Worthy will be moved from starting as a punt returner, not as a wide receiver. I would predict, obviously, that Worthy will start all 17 games as a wideout for Kansas City, barring injury. But I can't imagine he will play every game as the starting punt returner.

He's simply just not a big enough frame to be taking the unnecessary hits that a punt returner does. Worthy would provide a big play chance, but the odds of taking a punt return back for six are very slim. Last season, there were only eight punt return touchdowns across the league.

Playing Worthy as the punt returner is just asking for him to get blown up and injured before he can get his rookie season off the ground. All it would take is one big hit and the Chiefs will likely yank him from that role.

They have viable options like Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman who could take on the job and provide the same big-play ability while also not risking one of the team's starting pass catchers.