For too long, the Kansas City Chiefs' wide receivers have been a net negative on the offense. Injuries, poor coaching, lack of talent, and off-the-field troubles have all factored into what is now a make-or-break season for KC's wideouts. The first step in improving that facet of the offense was replacing former wide receivers coach Connor Embree with a success-proven veteran voice in Chad O'Shea.
O'Shea is widely respected in league circles and known to be one of the better evaluators and pure coaches at the position. He boasts 20-plus years of coaching in the NFL, his first three as an assistant coach with the Chiefs in the mid-2000s. After a three-year stint as the Minnesota Vikings WRs coach, he enjoyed a lengthy stint on the New England Patriots in the same role between 2009-18, where he played a major role in Wes Welker making multiple first-team All-Pros and Pro Bowls as well as Julian Edelman's ascension into playoff greatness.
O'Shea's most recent stint with the Cleveland Browns may not be full of accolades, but considering who the Browns have been for decades and the atrocity of quarterbacks and wide receivers over the years, it's hard for anybody to blame O'Shea for the offensive incapabilities. Chiefs fans, however, should be excited about the prospect of having an adult lead the room, and it sounds like former Chiefs TE Jason Dunn only sees this as a positive move.
"You're going to get somebody who is very fundamentally sound and who's a great coach. He is going to emphasize and make sure you are going to get the most out of their players. He's not going to let guys relax. He's going to demand excellence every single play and every single rep in practice."
Jason Dunn seems confident that with improved coaching, the Chiefs wideouts can hit highest marks yet
Since Tyreek Hill's departure after the 2021 season, no Chiefs receiver has hit 1,000 yards in a single regular season. It's an astonishing statistic and one that mirrors the Chiefs never having a 1,000-yard rusher in the Patrick Mahomes era as well. The pieces around Mahomes have admittedly failed him for the better part of three years.
Rashee Rice's best season came in 2023, his rookie campaign, when he did manage to total 1,000-plus yards, playoffs included. But since then, he's been nothing but a constant no-show and headache. Xavier Worthy had a promising rookie season in 2024, with over 700 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns, but a torn labrum in week one last year ended any shot of his rise.
After that, the Chiefs' depth chart features a solid vertical field stretcher in Tyquan Thornton and a whole lot of unproven young guys. Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, Nikko Remigio, among others, are going to be counted on at some point this season to make a play.
And it'll be O'Shea's job not only to make sure that those guys are mentally and physically prepared, but it's also his job to ensure Rice and Worthy take that next step into stardom. That would be the best-case scenario for this position unit. Here's to hoping that happens.
Add us as a preferred source on Google