In what was a crushing 24-28 loss to the Denver Broncos, Patrick Mahomes once again suffered at the hands of a poor receiving unit despite a 300-plus-yard, three-touchdown performance. Kansas City has been needing receiver help for years now, and it finally sounds like Brett Veach is going to be aggressive in an attempt to make a midseason trade.
Xavier Worthy played 94 percent of the snaps last night and caught just three passes for a grand total of 13 yards. It's fair to call him a first-round bust at this point. Just watch the games. Worthy can't do anything. His speed would generally lend to him being a downfield threat, but he is so skinny and so small that on just about every route he runs, he gets outmuscled and blanketed by the defender.
Even his three catches last night came as manufactured plays called specifically for him, which he did very little with. As for Rashee Rice, it was nice to have him back in the fold, and he makes a true difference. But Rice is a zone-beater, not a man-coverage winner.
Cyrus Allen finally got some more reps and caught two balls for 20 yards, but rookie mistakes limited his effectiveness. Jalen Royals and Andrew Armstrong, not surprisingly, combined for 40 snaps in this game and combined for just one catch. The Chiefs' young receiving core is not getting the job done. Which is why Josh Downs should be Veach's target.
Kansas City needs a receiver who can create yards, not have them manufactured for him
Look, Downs is not a superstar receiver. But he is a guy who can get open against man coverage, catch the ball, which has been its own issue when it comes to Chiefs pass-catchers, and make plays happen after the catch.
From everything that's been said around the league, despite the Chiefs being willing to spend a first- round pick, it takes two sides to tango in a trade. Garrett Wilson of the Jets seems untouchable, as much as he might help KC. Nico Collins of the Texans is not going anywhere. And while Brian Thomas Jr. would be a fine addition, he would cost more than Downs in terms of draft capital, and at this point I'm not exactly sure what he is.
Liam Coen is one of the best offensive head coaches in the game and has completely fazed Thomas out of the lineup. There has to be a reason for that. Downs is the best option the Chiefs have at this point and would likely only cost a third-or fourth-round pick.
Mahomes needs more weapons, and while Downs won't solve everything, he will solve some things. And if his addition means four or five catches a game where he moves the chains, or gets open on a Mahomes scramble, then I'm all for it.
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