Chiefs headlines for Saturday, May 4
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NFL Exec Says Xavier Worthy Will Help Chiefs ‘Light Up’ Opponents After 2024 Draft | Bleacher Report
The Kansas City Chiefs got a speedy wide receiver in the first round of the NFL draft after taking Xavier Worthy, and one NFL executive believes his quickness is going to “light people up,” per The Athletic’s Mike Sando.
“Kansas City is going to light people up with that kid,” the executive said of Worthy. “He’s a little, fast guy, and you think he’s a track guy, but he’s tough, finishes runs, fast, disciplined. He has a nice all-around game.”
Worthy caught the attention of many when he posted a record-breaking 4.22 second 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine. That quickness should fare well in an offense led by Patrick Mahomes.
NFL power rankings 2024: Bears, Cowboys head in different directions | USA Today
1. Kansas City Chiefs (1): They got the tackle prospect (Kingsley Suamataia) they needed in Round 2. They got the hyperlight receiver (Xavier Worthy), who’s a bit of a terrifying luxury (a likely suspension to WR Rashee Rice notwithstanding) in Round 1. And knowing HC Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach, another notable move or two could still be in the offing for a team taking aim at the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat.
Ranking NFL’s Top 5 Defenses After 2024 Draft | The 33rd Team
3. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS
By the time the Super Bowl came around, there was not a defense playing better than the Kansas City Chiefs. That’s not just because there were only two defenses still playing by the time the Super Bowl came around — take how the Chiefs were playing and compare it to any defense at any other point in the season.
Most of the main pieces return on this unit that played so well throughout the regular season. It carried the team and allowed the offense to find its balance for the playoff run. L’Jarius Sneed is gone after he was traded to the Tennessee Titans, but the Chiefs appear to have faith in their younger corners to replace him.
Joshua Williams, a 2022 fourth-round pick, was fifth among cornerbacks in adjusted yards allowed per coverage snap last season and led all corners with at least 100 coverage snaps in completion rate allowed. Jaylen Watson, a 2022 seventh-round pick, was 14th in completion rate allowed and about average on a per-coverage snap basis.
So much of the secondary will revolve around Trent McDuffie and everything he does for it. McDuffie was the best defensive player in the Super Bowl and showed he could be a superstar. He has played outside, in the slot and could switch between the two during the season.
The Chiefs also kept their most important pass rusher, Chris Jones, with a big extension. Jones was 12th in pressures among defenders in the regular season. His presence inside changes how Kansas City can attack with a four-man pass rush and with pressure packages under Steve Spagnuolo that can create chaos. No team converted sacks than the Chiefs, who finished with a league-high 9.3 percent sack rate.
Kansas City had all of its defensive success last season without forcing turnovers. Just 9.5 percent of opposing drives against the Chiefs ended in a turnover, which ranked 23rd. With some regression in that area, this defense could top their fundamentally sound defense with more big-impact plays.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
2023 record: 11-6 (won Super Bowl LVIII)
Kansas City will likely be in this No. 1 spot for the foreseeable future so long as Patrick Mahomes is under center. The Chiefs spent the offseason solidifying their wide receiver room, which was their biggest weakness in their Super Bowl-winning campaign last year. Adding Hollywood Brown and first-round rookie Xavier Worthy should inject some much-needed speed back into the offense. The Chiefs also retained star defensive lineman Chris Jones and extended Travis Kelce, keeping their core intact. Trading away L’Jarius Sneed will put a dent in the secondary, but the Chiefs should once again be in the thick of the Super Bowl conversation.
Wide receiver (13)
Starters: Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy
Reserves: Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney, Justyn Ross, Montrell Washington, Nikko Remigio, Cornell Powell, Anthony Miller, Jacob Copeland, Shi Smith
The Chiefs could add another veteran here, in part because Rice, a second-year player, is expected to be suspended for violating the league’s personal conduct policy after he was involved in a multi-vehicle crash in northeast Dallas in March. Worthy is the lone rookie projected to be a starter, as his rare speed should help Brown’s production. Mahomes’ ability to build connections with Brown and Worthy will be something to watch in the offseason. If the Chiefs don’t add a veteran, Toney and Moore could battle for snaps in the regular season.
Fantasy Football: Post-NFL draft dynasty rookie superflex rankings | PFF
11. WR XAVIER WORTHY, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS (WR6, ROUND 1-PICK 28)
The Chiefs drafted Worthy with the 28th overall pick — the best-case scenario for the Texas product.
While some of the first-round wide receivers ended up with a solid quarterback, only Worthy ended up with Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs have plenty of players in the wide receiver room, but Worthy can certainly find a spot among the Chiefs starters.
Rashee Rice currently leads the depth chart, but it is unclear whether he’ll be suspended for his alleged involvement in a recent multi-vehicle crash that injured at least four people. The Chiefs added Marquise Brown, who will be followed by Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Kadarius Toney and Justyn Ross.
None of those players have the speed Worthy possesses.
Andy Reid is very familiar with incredibly fast receivers, including Tyreek Hill and DeSean Jackson. Those are big shoes to fill, but if Worthy hits, he could hit big in this offense.
Worthy has ranked higher on other big boards, but despite the excitement for his speed and landing spot, there is still some concern.
Rice was one of the five highest-graded rookie wideouts of the last half-decade, joining Justin Jefferson, Ja’Marr Chase, Puka Nacua and Terry McLaurin. Even when Travis Kelce retires, Worthy might not be the top receiving option for Kansas City, even if he plays well.
Worthy ranked 69th on our big board, with 13 wide receivers ahead of him. The landing spot and high draft stock move him up significantly, just not as high for me as others.
NFL draft grades, AFC West: Chargers ace test; Broncos, Chiefs nail biggest needs | NFL.com
B+ Kansas City Chiefs
A decent amount of this grade is built on Kansas City’s trade at the back end of the first round. The Chiefs managed to convince Buffalo(!) to trade with them, which allowed them to go after Xavier Worthy, a speedster who broke the 40-yard dash record at the NFL Scouting Combine and gives Kansas City the legitimate deep threat it has lacked since Tyreek Hill was traded to Miami. There’s no guarantee Worthy will be good at the next level, but the mere fact the Chiefs addressed their greatest need with aggression is commendable. Kingsley Suamataia is a mountain of an offensive lineman who certainly isn’t guaranteed to receive a starting job but should challenge Wanya Morris at left tackle. It was nice to see GM Brett Veach go back to the well to address a few positions, of both immediate and future need, selecting Jared Wiley to provide some competitive depth at tight end and then adding two defensive backs to bolster a group that lost L’Jarius Sneed in the offseason. This is how the Chiefs do it, letting a select few walk and replacing them via the draft. After losing Nick Allegretti to free agency, Veach also earns positive marks from me for spending three picks on offensive linemen, with a personal favorite of mine, Holy Cross’ C.J. Hanson, landing with the defending champs in the seventh round. I think that kid can play, and if the Chiefs find themselves needing a replacement (like they did when Joe Thuney couldn’t play in Super Bowl LVIII), I’d love to see Hanson get the chance to prove himself.
Around the NFL
Dolphins to sign WR Odell Beckham Jr. to one-year deal worth up to $8.25 million | NFL.com
The star receiver’s next stop will be in Miami, as Beckham is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Dolphins worth up to $8.25 million, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Friday, per sources.
The 31-year-old three-time Pro Bowler is now set to play for his fifth NFL team. Over the past three years, Beckham has been on three rosters – the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens – and played in just 28 games.
Now, Beckham and the Fins will look to find the fountain of past form as he’ll be slotted as the team’s No. 3 receiver behind speedy standouts Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Though Beckham and the Dolphins have been linked for a while, it’s a somewhat surprising signing following the 2024 NFL Draft, as Miami added Virginia wide receiver Malik Washington and USC WR Tahj Washington with sixth- and seventh-round selections.
Head coach Mike McDaniel’s offense can never have too many options, it would seem.
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers to have no restrictions when OTAs open | ESPN
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be ready to go when the New York Jets begin OTA practices on May 20.
The four-time MVP, eight months removed from surgery to repair a torn left Achilles, will have “no restrictions,” according to coach Robert Saleh.
“Once phase three hits, we’re not anticipating any restrictions from what we can and can’t do with him,” Saleh said Friday at the start of a two-day rookie minicamp.
Phase three, which lasts four weeks and covers 10 practices, is when teams are allowed to do noncontact, 11-on-11 work. That Rodgers will participate shouldn’t come as a surprise; he was practicing on a limited basis over the final month of last season. Still, it’s noteworthy, considering the severity of his injury.
“The guy can still sling it,” Saleh said. “Obviously, he’s still working through his rehab, but there are no issues on the trajectory on which he’s going.”
In case you missed it at Arrowhead Pride
Chiefs Draft: Signing the class will take very little cap space
When players are drafted — or when undrafted free agents (UDFAs) are signed after the draft — they immediately count against the salary cap. But whether they are drafted with the first pick or are the last UDFA signed, all of these rookies initially go into the system at the same salary: $795,000. In 2024, that’s the minimum salary for an NFL player. (Small detail: Some UDFAs may be paid relatively small signing bonuses, which will also count against the cap).
But until the regular season begins, each team’s salary-cap space is calculated using only the 51 largest cap hits on its roster. So as a practical matter, this means that virtually none of these rookie contracts will immediately reduce any team’s cap space. This is because any team’s 51st-largest cap hit is almost guaranteed to be equal to (or greater than) than $795,000.
For example: at this writing, the Chiefs’ 41st through 51st hits all happen to be $985,000. (Sometimes, though, the lowest 10-12 hits among the top 51 cover a range of values. The key thing to remember is that as new players are signed, the 51st-highest cap hit can only increase).
Even then, the actual cap-space impacts of the new contracts are reduced by another consequence of the offseason’s top-51 formula: a new contract over the top-51 threshold pushes the 51st-highest cap hit below it. In essence, this reduces the cap impact of the newly-signed deal by the amount of what becomes the 52nd-highest cap hit.
During the offseason, we see the same thing with free-agent signings. Let’s say the Chiefs signed a new contract that carries a cap hit of $2 million this season. That deal pushes the 51st-highest cap hit ($985,000) below the threshold; it is replaced by the new $2 million contract. Therefore, the cap impact of the new contract is only $1.15 million.
Of course, some (but not all) of the newly-drafted players will eventually sign contracts with 2024 cap hits above the top-51 threshold. But until those contracts are signed, rookie contracts have no impact on the team’s cap space.
Social media to make you think
#Chiefs secondary got younger and better.
Yet again.
Argue with yourself.— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) May 3, 2024
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