Xavier Worthy shows early signs for concern at Chiefs training camp

The Kansas City Chiefs hoisted their third Lombardi Trophy in five years with a victory in Super Bowl LVIII. The game cemented the franchise's place in history as the NFL's latest dynasty, but the 2023 campaign showed signs for concern.

The Chiefs offense averaged 21.8 points per game during the 2023 regular season. It was the franchise's lowest average scoring output since head coach Andy Reid joined the team in 2013. Many of Kansas City's struggles fall back on their recent inability to draft and develop talented wide receivers.

In an effort to add speed to their passing game, Kansas City signed veteran wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown in free agency and drafted Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Xavier Worthy's career is off to a concerning start with Chiefs

Expectations have been absurdly high for the Chiefs' first-round rookie in 2024, but the wideout has gotten off to a rough start. After struggling with drops at Texas, Worthy has continued to drop passes in his first offseason with Kansas City. Even worse, those issues were compounded by a hamstring injury that has limited his practice time heading into training camp. Since being drafted, the young wide receiver has been plagued by various injuries.

Worthy was not on the field as the Chiefs began training camp practice on Monday, according to ESPN reporter Adam Teicher. The absence is reportedly related to an illness, according to the team.

At 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, Worthy has an extremely thin frame and needs to put on some weight to find lasting durability at the professional level. The wideout managed to return to the field in time for training camp after his hamstring injury, but he was quickly sidelined again. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes urged Worthy to return to the field after the wide receiver suffered a minor hand injury in his first training camp outing last week.

If Worthy is going to develop into a reliable target for Mahomes this season, he'll have to find a way to stay on the field and develop some chemistry with the three-time Super Bowl MVP.

Worthy skyrocketed up draft boards after running a record-setting 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. Despite the jaw-dropping speed, FanSided's NFL Big Board had Worthy listed as the No. 74 prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft — far below the No. 28 overall pick where the Chiefs drafted him.

The Chiefs have chased speed in the draft and free agency in an attempt to replace Tyreek Hill. In 2019, they drafted Mecole Hardman when there were questions about a potential suspension for Hill. They've drafted Skyy Moore and Rashee Rice in the second round of the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts, respectively. They acquired Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Kadarius Toney. But no one — skill-wise or speed-wise — has come close to Hill.