The Kansas City Chiefs‘ 5-0 record contrasts with the challenges Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid faced at the start of the 2024 NFL season. The team lost one, not two, but three key players due to injury early in the year.
The first to go down was Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. The Chiefs‘ biggest acquisition in the offseason has yet to play an official game at Arrowhead, as the veteran wide receiver sustained a sternoclavicular joint dislocation in preseason.
Mahomes was eventually left without his go-to player in the running game, as starting running back Isiah Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula in Week 2. To make matters worse, Kansas City lost its primary wide receiver, Rashee Rice, as Mahomes accidentally injured his teammate in Week 4.
On Monday, Reid seemed to confirm the Chiefs will lose the star player for the rest of the season. This situation has many wondering whether the Chiefs will sign a new wide receiver, but Mahomes made it clear to Reid and the front office that he completely believes in his teammates.
Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the game against the Green Bay Packers at Arrowhead Stadium on October 27, 2019 in Kansas City, Missouri.
“I have extreme confidence in the guys out on that football field,” Mahomes told reporters on Wednesday, via Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports. “I’m just excited for the guys who continue to get better each and every week. I think we’ve got the guys to do it.”
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Mahomes is echoing the coach’s confidence in the current roster. Only a few weeks ago, Reid made it clear to Mahomes after Rice’s injury that he expected more wideouts apart from rookie Xavier Worthy to get opportunities.
The three-time Super Bowl champion head coach doubled down on his support for the pass catchers this week, in a clear message from Reid for GM Brett Veach and Mahomes.
Despite the fans’ concern, both the coach and quarterback seem to be aligned in their belief on the Chiefs’ current wide receivers. With Brown and Rice injured, Kansas City’s healthy wideouts in the 2024 NFL season are Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, Mecole Hardman, and Skyy Moore.
Mahomes may stick with current WRs as Reid, Chiefs don’t plan big moves
Many names have been linked to the team as potential trade targets, but whether the Chiefs plan to make a move remains unclear. For instance, Reid has been urged to consider a CJ Stroud Texans teammate to help Mahomes.
Head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs look on during the second quarter of a game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on November 26, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
So far, there have been no signs that we’ll see a new face on the WR room before the 2024 NFL trade deadline. Amari Cooper was seen as a possibility, but the Buffalo Bills have already left the Chiefs without this option.
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Still, we shouldn’t rule out a new arrival in the coming weeks. Reid said that while there’s no need to make a signing, he didn’t rule out having a new member on board either.
The coach did mention he’d prefer to have a player who’s familiar with the scheme, and the Chiefs may have an easy opportunity to do so. A potential return of Marquez Valdes-Scantling may not be so exciting for Chiefs fans, but it’s the kind of move the team can afford right now. A free agent after being cut by the Bills, the 30-year-old knows Kansas City from the last two seasons, where he was part of Mahomes’ offense in consecutive Super Bowl wins.
