ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Even with Patrick Mahomes on the field for Kansas City’s opening practice of training camp, all eyes fixated on rookie Xavier Worthy on Wednesday, and the first-round wide receiver made an impression early.
After jamming a finger on his left hand on his opening target from Mahomes during a 7-on-7 passing drill, Worthy finished his first NFL training camp practice with two catches on three targets, including a highlight-reel grab downfield against cornerback Nazeeh Johnson on a throw from Ian Book.
Mahomes said he wouldn’t take it easy on Worthy after the rookie missed most of the club’s offseason workouts with a hamstring injury. The opening target proved that statement Wednesday, and Worthy understands the reasoning.
“I definitely feel like there’s no time to ease in, I mean, it’s all go,” Worthy said.” Once you’re here, you’re here. I understand definitely what Pat’s saying and just to build that connection with him is going to be key here.”
The hamstring injury that sidelined Worthy for all but two of the team’s offseason workouts remains in the foreground. He wore a wrap on his left hamstring Wednesday.
“It’s getting better,” Worthy said. “As I go, it’s going to continue getting better. So I just want to be able to be out there with the guys and keep working.” When asked if he felt he was 100% or only as good as he can be right now, Worthy said favored “as good as I could be right now.”
“I’m obviously still working my way back into things but I’m here I’m ready to work,” he said.
During his time off the field, Worthy said he dived into his playbook to pickup as much of the offense as possible. While the Chiefs expect to play Worthy at primarily the Z-receiver, he’s learning all three positions and moved through all three spots in Wednesday’s practice. During offseason workouts, he stood close by offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, picking his brain on understanding the plays, why they were called, and how the coach wants to run alignments.
“Understanding all the bits and pieces about the playbook, so I can come in and not miss a beat,” Worthy said. “It’s a different thing running the plays but I feel like it’s harder to learn the mental part. So, when you learn the mental part outside of the game, I feel like it’s much easier to come in and do it.”
Notes & Observations
It should come as no surprise that the opening horn sounded Wednesday’s 9:15 a.m. practice at precisely 9:13. It’s not an Andy Reid practice if it doesn’t start early.
The 1-hour, 25-minute practice served as an indoctrination for the rookies and an opportunity to shake off the rust for the veteran quarterbacks and injured players in attendance. With only 37 healthy bodies in attendance, there were no 11-on-11 periods; with only three wide receivers in camp, there was barely enough depth to support 7-on-7 sessions.
A cold front moved through the region on Tuesday morning bringing cooler temperatures and scattered clouds, treating the players to a high of 80 degrees by the end of practice. The abbreviated session kicked off with a stretch period followed by position drills, a group install, and two 7-on-7 periods sandwiched between additional position drills. The workout concluded with a special teams period.
Mahomes finished 5-of-6 passing in his brief work, his only incompletion coming on the opening throw to Worthy. He completed two passes each to tight end Jared Wiley and running back Louis Rees-Zammit before finishing with a red-zone completion to Worthy, who made a nice snag on a low throw.
Backup quarterback Carson Wentz completed 5-of-passing during 7-on-7 work. He and newly arrived receiver Kyle Sheets nearly connected on a deep throw down the right sideline but Sheets couldn’t hold on to the ball for a difficult catch going to the ground. On the next play, Wentz found a wide-open Phillip Brooks down the left sideline wide open in broken coverage. Wentz delivered a few high throws on Wednesday, including a red-zone pass intended for Jaaron Hayek that was knocked away by safety Jaden Hicks.
Third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun delivered the throw of the day, connecting with tight end Gerrit Prince on a skinny post for a big gain. Oladokun whizzed the ball through a tight window past three defenders into the waiting hands of Prince, the former Shawnee Mission Northwest product. Oladokun was 3-of-4 passing with his only incompletion coming on a drop by tight end Baylor Cupp with safety Trey Dean in solid coverage.
Worthy arguably secured the catch of the day with his grab in coverage against Johnson. It probably would not have been a completion in live contact — Johnson had outstanding coverage and was in a position to break up the pass if contact were permitted. But it was still a solid catch by Worthy. That completion allowed Book to finish his day with a perfect 4-of-4 passing.
No Joint Practices for Andy Reid
Last year 27 NFL clubs held joint practices together, and this season a total of 30 teams will conduct joint practices with another club in perhaps the hottest trend in the league. Only two teams won’t be partnering with another club for joint practices during training camp: the Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders.
And don’t expect head coach Andy Reid to join the party anytime soon.
“I think the way we go about it – I think we go fast, we practice hard, we do those things amongst ourselves, and the guys challenge each other,” Reid said Tuesday. “And I don’t think there’s a better way to do it, if your guys are willing to do that.”
The prevalence of joint practices has exploded in recent years. The number of clubs holding a practice against other teams has increased by 50% since 2019. The Los Angeles Rams lead the way this season with four joint practices including two sessions with their stadium partners the Los Angeles Chargers and one each with Dallas and Houston.
Certainly, some of the increase owes to the NFL eliminating a preseason game. Some coaches view joint practices as superior to preseason games because of the ability to script scenarios while testing their players and scheme against an opponent that doesn’t see them every day in practice.
But the advantages don’t outweigh the negatives for Reid. He cites the information that opponents can gain from his team and the inevitable training camp fights that seem to occur during joint practices.
“Our guys are up for that challenge,” said Reid, who believes his players push each other as well as any opponent. “Plus you’re not giving things away, so you can’t help but do that. Then you’re not having those skirmishes that you get in these inter-squad deals. And no matter how much you talk, you put on a different uniform, you’re the enemy. It doesn’t matter if it’s during joint practices or not.”
What’s Next?
It’s day two of the rookie minicamp with a 9:15 practice Thursday morning at Missouri Western State University. The session is closed to the public.
Training camp begins to ramp up Friday with the final day of the rookie minicamp and the rest of the squad arriving in St. Joseph. Chiefs president Mark Donovan will also host his annual opening training camp press conference Friday morning.
After an acclimation day Saturday including medical testing and the dreaded Reid conditioning test, players hit the field Sunday morning for a 9:15 practice for the first full-squad workout of camp. There is a $5 admission fee for Sunday’s practice.
