How Should Chiefs' Xavier Worthy Be Used in Year 2?

The Kansas City Chiefs' wide receiving outlook for the 2025 campaign looks to be very promising. The likes of Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown and second-year wide receiver Xavier Worthy will all be playing alongside each other for the first time, something the franchise was hoping for last season.

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has to be loving the news that all his wide receivers are healthy for the new season. However, the Chiefs are in an interesting situation with Worthy as he goes into his second year. After proving he can be an asset on the receiving side of the ball, is that the only position he will be utilized in?

Worthy collected 638 receiving yards and ranked second in the system behind tight end Travis Kelce in his rookie campaign. As assistant head coach Dave Toub told the media, Worthy has an area of his game that the NFL world has yet to see, and it comes from the punt return position.

“Now, if you remember, Worthy, you know he was going to be our guy. He planned on being our guy until Rashee Rice got hurt, and that changed everything for that dynamic. 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," Toub said earlier this offseason.

Worthy now has two ways he can contribute to the offense, so long as he and the rest of the wide receiving room stay healthy. In his collegiate years, Worthy totaled 564 punt return yards, 371 of which came in his final season with the Texas Longhorns.

Assuming that Rice is going to be used as the primary target for Mahomes in the offense, Worthy can be thrown around the scheme in several ways. Should he be the primary punt return option for the Chiefs, Chiefs Kingdom could be in for a show from their second-year receiver.