For too long, the Kansas City Chiefs have forced Patrick Mahomes to do all of the heavy lifting on offense. Either because their draft picks haven't always panned out or because their free-agent signings have been underwhelming, the team's wide receiver corps has often left plenty to be desired.
Andy Reid's offense is complex, so the Chiefs often resort to bringing disappointing veterans back just because of their familiarity with the system. But as much as Mecole Hardman or Marquez Valdes-Scantling might know the offense, they're not starting-caliber guys in this league anymore, nor were they for the majority of their time in Kansas City.
Watching JuJu Smith-Schuster fail to make the New York Giants' roster was already a telling sign of how bad things were in Kansas City in 2025. But now, knowing that he worked out for the Jets and didn't even get a deal, only made matters worse.
Chiefs 2025 playmakers have had a rough-go of it post-Kansas City
The Chiefs have done next to nothing to bolster the wide receiver corps. Rashee Rice is still a question mark, and Xavier Worthy might never live up to the hype as a former first-round pick. As for the rest of the supporting cast from a year ago, well, let's take a look.
Marquise "Hollywood" Brown was a healthy scratch in Week 1 with his new team. The Philadelphia Eagles could've used a veteran after trading A.J. Brown, but he's already behind newcomers Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon in the pecking order.
As mentioned, Smith-Schuster is a free agent again. His best years are behind him, and with all due respect, you know a player has hit rock bottom whenever he works out for the Jets. Moreover, he left the building without a deal, meaning that the Chiefs' WR4 from last season wasn't good enough to play for a team that hasn't made the playoffs since 2010. Let that sink in.
Then, we have Tyquan Thornton, the only free-agent wide receiver the Chiefs retained this offseason. He drew a grand total of one target in the season opener and failed to record a single stat, so yeah, not ideal.
All in all, the Chiefs' wide receivers combined for five receptions for 37 yards in the Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos. The guys supposed to make Mahomes' life easier can't create separation, and those who played often last year can't even get on the field anymore.
Brett Veach has done a solid job of rebuilding the defense over the years, and it's hard to complain when the team has reached five Super Bowls (winning three) during his tenure. But that's also a testament to Steve Spagnuolo's defensive madness and Mahomes' greatness.
The Chiefs have one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and just continue to trust him to make everyone look good. But if someone isn't good enough to play for the Jets, how is he supposed to take the field for this team?
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