The Kansas City Chiefs are dealing with problems on offense once again. Last year, it was the struggling running game. This year, they have addressed that issue by bringing in Kenneth Walker III, but another concern has now emerged at wide receiver. It’s not that the Chiefs lack talent at the position; they have talented receivers.
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What they lack is availability. Rashee Rice has missed multiple games this season. Tyquan Thornton got off to a strong start, but an ankle injury has now sidelined him for 12-16 weeks. Xavier Worthy is available, but his production hasn’t been as impressive as expected.
The depth behind the top three receivers, meanwhile, hasn’t done much to help Patrick Mahomes this season. With the November 10 trade deadline approaching, the Chiefs are expected to pursue a reliable wide receiver. For now, however, no trade has materialized, although Kansas City has brought in a receiver to address the issue.
Per reports, the Chiefs signed rookie Jacob De Jesus to the practice squad ahead of their Week 9 home game against the New York Jets. The decision came after the Chiefs lost back-to-back games in the last two weeks, where their offense struggled to perform. Meanwhile, this marked the second time the Chiefs have brought De Jesus to the team.
After going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Chiefs signed De Jesus as an undrafted free agent in May. Throughout the offseason as well as the preseason, the receiver battled to find a spot on the 53-man roster. Ultimately, Kansas City waived him before the start of the regular season.
Now that the Chiefs are in need of a receiver, they have signed him to the practice squad again. The receiver finished the 2025 season for the Golden Bears, catching 108 receptions for 1030 yards and six touchdowns. But while he failed to find a spot on Kansas City’s 53-man roster, it remains to be seen whether the Chiefs will activate him off the practice squad this time.
Meanwhile, after the first eight weeks of the 2026 season, the Chiefs seem to have a legitimate need at wide receiver. Kansas City entered the season with three receivers who were expected to form the core of the group: Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Tyquan Thornton.
Thornton had a tremendous start to the season, as he caught 11 receptions for 219 yards and two touchdowns in the first four games, as the Chiefs started 4-0. Against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, however, Thornton suffered a dislocated ankle and ligament damage. He underwent surgery to repair his ankle and is now in a 10- to 12-week recovery window.
Rice, meanwhile, has been their most productive receiver when healthy. Through the eighth week of the season, he caught 20 receptions, 243 yards and 2 touchdowns in five games. Against the Denver Broncos in Week 8, he had 7 receptions for 53 yards after coming back from an injury. So Rice isn’t the problem.
The problem is that Kansas City can’t comfortably build its entire WR plan around Rice being available every week. He already missed time with the hamstring injury, and CBS’ Tracy Wolfson reported during the Week 8 broadcast that Brett Veach specifically mentioned Rice’s history with soft-tissue injuries as one reason the Chiefs would explore the receiver market.
“I had a chance with GM Brett Veach, who told me that with Tyquan Thornton being out for the season and Rashee Rice having a history with soft tissue injuries, they will explore what’s available at the wide receiver position,” Wolfson reported. “You’ve heard Josh Downs or Brian Thomas Jr. being mentioned, but over the next week, they will make calls and see where everything stands and who is available.”
Worthy, on the other hand, has played the most snaps among Kansas City’s receivers and has remained on the field. However, he has caught just 27 receptions on 41 targets for 230 yards and one touchdown in 7 games. His numbers have specifically dropped in the Chiefs’ only two losses of the season.
Against the Seattle Seahawks, Worthy had just 3 catches for 11 yards and no touchdowns. He had three more catches against the Broncos, but only for 13 yards and no touchdowns. Kansas City went 0-2 in those matchups.
At the same time, NFL.com’s recent analysis noted that Worthy has had multiple route miscommunications with Patrick Mahomes, and that Mahomes hasn’t fully developed the level of trust with Worthy that Kansas City would want at this stage.
Through the first eight weeks of the season, Kansas City’s wide receivers have combined for 72 receptions for 825 yards and 6 touchdowns. That’s Rice, Worthy, Thornton, Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, Andrew Armstrong, and Justin Watson combined. Kansas City’s entire passing game had produced 1,795 receiving yards. That means only about 46% of the team’s receiving yards have come from wide receivers.
That means Patrick Mahomes is once again relying on veteran tight end Travis Kelce, who has recorded 29 catches for 410 yards and two touchdowns. Emmett Johnson, a running back, had 14 catches for 237 yards and one touchdown. Kenneth Walker, another running back, had 22 catches for 131 yards and two touchdowns. In other words, Kansas City’s passing game isn’t necessarily terrible. Its wide receiver production is the weak point within an otherwise functional passing attack.