“He’s fearless across the middle,” Reid said of Worthy on Tuesday. “As a matter of fact, that’s one of the best things he does, is working underneath and over the top in that. So we kind of stayed away from that.”
Perhaps not surprisingly, then, Worthy’s production suffered.
Not only was his route tree reduced, but Worthy also didn’t get the same opportunities for run after catch. Per TruMedia, 56 percent of his receiving yards in 2024 came after the catch; that proportion dropped to 36 percent in 2025.
The good news, according to Reid? Worthy should be back to full strength next year after offseason shoulder surgery. The wideout also should be healed from an ankle ailment he played through late in the year.
“He’ll be fine,” Reid said.
Worthy’s ascent at the end of 2024 was one reason Reid entered 2025 with high hopes for the offense. Speaking at the February 2025 NFL combine — ahead of the Chiefs’ 6-11 campaign — Reid revealed that Worthy had impressed coaches with his late-season surge, which included two touchdown catches in the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
“He’s not the biggest guy, but he’s not afraid to run crossing routes. Sometimes you see those guys and they tiptoe across. He goes 100 miles an hour, man,” Reid said in February 2025. “All the stuff he did was all new compared to what he did in college. So we’re seeing it, and then for (quarterback) Pat (Mahomes) to be able to trust and know where he’s going to be … all that stuff takes time. So that’s a great thing.”