It all started when Rashee Rice—the Chiefs’ breakout second‑year receiver—went down with that devastating knee injury in Week 4 of the 2024 season. Suddenly, Xavier Worthy, the rookie speedster, was thrown into the deep end. He didn’t just fill a gap—he exploded into a role that mirrored what Rice did in his own rookie year. In the second half of the season, Worthy became a focal point of the Chiefs’ offense, hauling in big plays and racking up confidence.

Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy captured the shift best: “Confidence and the game is slowing down for him… It reminds me so much of Rashee [Rice] last year.” Fast forward to the doorstep of the 2025 season, when Head Special Teams guru Dave Toub dropped a statement that lit up Arrowhead: “He ended up being the number one [receiver] for us last year, so we couldn’t afford to have him back there. I say he’s the best punt returner nobody knows about right now in the league, and that’s Worthy, so hopefully we get him back there, too.”

Suddenly, Worthy isn’t just the electric deep threat who stepped up for Patrick Mahomes—he’s also a weapon in the return game. Ever since, the Chiefs Kingdom is buzzing with just one question: Will we see Worthy returning punts this year? Well, recently, Worthy sat down on Kay Adams’ Up & Adams’ show, where Kay Adams echoed the same question. Worthy’s response?

“Oh man, I don’t know. Stay tuned,” he said. “Stay tuned. I can’t I can’t drop that yet.” His narrative? “I think every time I touch the ball, I’m liable to score, so if I have that chance to be on punt return and change the game for my team, I’m going to do it,” he admitted when asked how dangerous he can be back there.

The wideout made his mark as a punt returner during his college days. Just look at his final season at Texas—he racked up 371 punt return yards and even took one to the house for a touchdown. The Chiefs had veteran Mecole Hardman last year, who had 20 punt returns in the 2024 season. Now that he’s left Kansas City and joined the Packers on a one-year deal, the position seems vacant.

That said, Nikko Remigio and Brashard Smith are a couple of other candidates to return punts for the Chiefs this season. And with the way things are shaping up—and considering the special teams coach flat-out called Xavier Worthy the best punt returner nobody knows about—it’s a safe bet we’ll see the second-year wideout fielding punts this season.

Meanwhile, as Xavier Worthy is preparing to instill himself in a new role for the Chiefs, Patrick Mahomes is facing growing concerns about the roster taking shape around him.

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs have to make some tough roster calls

Last season, the Chiefs had wide receiver scarcity. The reason was simple: Rashee Rice went down with an injury, and so did Hollywood Brown. But the 2025 season is telling a different tale when it comes to the Chiefs’ receiving corps. They’ve got a whole lot of options in their wideout unit. As per ESPN’s roster list, the Kansas City team has 13 wideouts this season. The list includes the rookies as well as the veterans.

Patrick Mahomes recently appeared on the Up & Adams Show, where he addressed the depth in the roster, especially the wideout unit. “Yeah. I mean, I think it is going to be the deepest,” the quarterback explained. But having 13 WRs on the roster means only one thing: the competition will be high. And by the time the Chiefs announce the 53-man roster, a few will become unemployed or will find new homes.

And while talking about the cuts, Mahomes described it as a challenging task. “I mean, it’s going to be hard to make cuts because we have so many great receivers that we could be eight, nine deep. The guys I can see making the roster,” he added. But let’s face it—it isn’t just fumbles and flags. After all, the QB noted that the Chiefs’ GM, Brett Veach, and the HC, Andy Reid, did a tremendous job of adding new pieces to the roster.

As Mahomes explained, the guys have “been competing and we’re excited to get to St. Joe, Missouri, and go out there, compete and showcase who we are.” It seems like a good problem for the Chiefs. The training camp is almost here, and preseason will follow next. Expect the Chiefs to make some tough calls.