The Kansas City Chiefs completed their second of three exhibition games during the preseason slate on Friday night when they fell to the Seattle Seahawks, 33-16, at Lumen Field.
Coming out on the losing side of the equation in a preseason game is no major concern for Andy Reid and the Chiefs. These games are more about evaluating a team's training camp roster rather than wins and losses. This isn't to say that Kansas City isn't trying to win these games; it just isn't the primary focus.
This is what makes Reid's comments about a struggling veteran wide receiver who, quite frankly, did not perform well on Friday night so interesting. Skyy Moore has been a disappointment since joining the Chiefs. Friday night, that trend continued as the former second-round pick dropped both of the targets he received.
"Yeah, listen, he had a couple of drops. That's not like him; he's better than that," said Reid, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. "So he had three kinds of bobbles and drops and special teams, and with throws. He came back with a big play. So I'm proud of him for that. It wasn't his best night up to that point."
Andy Reid Defends Struggling Chiefs WR Sky Moore Despite Performance
At some point, Kansas City is going to have to wake up and smell the coffee when it comes to Sky Moore and his future on the Chiefs. In 36 appearances for Kansas City, Moore has 43 receptions across 36 games. Those 43 receptions came on 74 targets. Moore not coming down with the ball that many times is simply not acceptable for a player drafted in the top 55 picks who is entering his fourth year in the NFL.
Reid is right. Moore did his best to make up for the drops and bobbles with an 88-yard punt return that the wide receiver took back for a touchdown. That moment just came with just over 3:30 remaining in regulation, though, with the Chiefs trailing 33-10. If Reid is going to praise inconsequential plays by a veteran who has underwhelmed since arriving, what are we really doing here?
Either this is a dreaded "vote of confidence" that we see from GMs before a head coach is fired, or the front office has already decided Moore will be a piece of the puzzle during the 2025 campaign, despite being on an expiring contract. From a financial perspective, retaining Moore for one more year to see if he can finally turn the corner would only cost the franchise $2.05 million. While that certainly isn't chump change, it won't break the bank for the Chiefs.
Whether Reid was proud of Moore's effort on Friday night or not, it is put up or shut up time for the former Western Michigan University standout as he enters his fourth season in Kansas City.