Even in early August, the Kansas City Chiefs are already seeing how fragile their wide receiver plans might be.
As training camp continues in St. Joseph, the Chiefs are already dealing with a couple of concerning developments at wideout. On Wednesday, Rashee Rice missed practice due to a groin injury. That compounds the loss of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown, who hasn’t suited up in over a week due to an ankle issue.
Reid suggested that Brown was making progress in recent days, and Rice was seen at least working out with a medicine ball—instead of sitting out entirely. Those factors can keep fans calm in the short term, but given how last season played out, it's hard not to feel some real concern about just how thin the margins are for this offense.
Brown was brought back this season on a one-year deal to help unlock an offense that opened up when he was on the field down the stretch alongside Xavier Worthy in 2024. The problem was that Brown was out for all but two games with a clavicle injury suffered in the Chiefs' first preseason contest.
Rice, meanwhile, was lost early in Week 4 with a significant LCL injury and never returned. It was a frustrating blow for a blossoming young wideout who'd proven he could be Patrick Mahomes' next volume target. The injury also effectively ended any shot at cohesion in the passing game for the remainder of the season.
All of this unfolded against the backdrop of a Chiefs offense still trying to rediscover its identity following the 2022 trade of Tyreek Hill. Since that blockbuster move, the offense has held its own—and no one should complain about the overall return or team performance since making that deal—but the unit is not nearly as imposing as it was with a more reliable group of receivers.
The issue isn't Mahomes, who remains as elite as ever, but rather the cast around him, particularly at wide receiver.
The deep passing game has especially suffered in Kansas City. In 2024, Mahomes and company ranked second-to-last in the NFL in completions that were 20+ yards beyond the line of scrimmage (12). That's a shocking decline for an offense that was the envy of the NFL a few seasons ago.
The vertical threat that Tyreek Hill provided has never been adequately replaced, and injuries have further exacerbated the lower ceiling and lack of depth in the wide receiver room. While Xavier Worthy put on a clinic down the stretch for the Chiefs, which portends very good things ahead, opponents can key in on him if others aren't there to draw some attention (and targets).
This is what makes the current injury situation so worrisome. The Chiefs' offensive blueprint in 2025 depends on a healthy trio of Brown, Rice, and Worthy giving Mahomes a versatile, explosive group of weapons to reignite the passing game. Yes, a motivated, slimmed-down Travis Kelce will be a factor. Yes, there are other options in play. But this trio was gathered to be that exciting nucleus in the passing game.
Let's be clear: that could still happen. Brown could bounce back and play a full slate for the first time since 2021. Rice could pick up where he left off, creating yards after the catch with elite acceleration (outside of sitting due to a likely suspension). Worthy could take a big step forward with a year under his belt and become the downfield element missing in recent seasons.
However, these early injuries to Rice and Brown serve as a frustrating reminder of how close this team is to potentially being mired in the same offensive ruts that plagued them in 2023 and 2024. Even with mid-season attempts to trade for help, the Chiefs' offense still stalled on multiple occasions.
The truth is that the Chiefs don’t need a league-leading offense to win it all, but it's also frustrating that a full offseason has come and gone, and the team is still staring at the same (potential) problems. There's plenty of time for injured players to get well, but all eyes are on the wide receiver room as training camp marches on.