Chiefs’ potential 2026 breakout star after strong OTAs showing

Despite the Chiefs’ prolonged struggles last season, almost everybody assumed that the team would eventually pick things up and begin to play like themselves. That never came to fruition. Now, this offseason, the consensus is the Chiefs will return to contention sooner rather than later. There are a lot of question marks surrounding the team that will need to be answered for them to prove themselves, though.

For starters, Patrick Mahomes is recovering from a torn ACL and LCL, and it is unclear if he will be good to go by the start of the season. The good news is that the quarterback was already at the Chiefs’ first day of OTAs. Mahomes’ would-be top option at receiver, Rashee Rice, has found himself in off-the-field trouble once again. Rice missed six games last season due to a suspension, and he was just ordered to serve 30 days in jail after testing positive for THC, and, therefore, violating his probation. The sentencing means Rice will be rehabbing knee surgery while behind bars.

Rice’s legal issues have prevented him from reaching his fullest potential so far. They have also prevented the Chiefs from having a passing attack as lethal as what the Chiefs had in Mahomes’ early days. With three Super Bowl MVPs and two regular season MVPs to his name, Mahomes still has a case as the best player in the NFL, but his production hasn’t necessarily illustrated that in the last couple of years. The Texas Tech product needs more help if he is to truly return to form, especially coming off a gruesome injury.

Xavier Worthy was drafted to be the team’s next version of Tyreek Hill, but so far, he hasn’t lived up to his pre-draft billing. Worthy is the Scouting Combine record holder in the 40-yard dash, but his 4.21 speed time hasn’t resulted in enough big plays yet. This season, expect the Chiefs to get back to their old ways of looking for big plays with frequency, and expect Worthy to be the main target in the deep game.

Worthy can be much more than just a deep threat, though. The Texas product has reliable hands and could be more of a three-level threat in year three. The Chiefs may also get back to using him as a gadget threat. As a rookie, Worthy had three rushing touchdowns, but he was only given 11 carries last season.

The Chiefs should force feed Worthy the ball because he can be truly special with the ball in his hands. Thus far, he hasn’t lived up to his status as a first-round pick, and he definitely hasn’t been their newest version of Hill, but Worthy still has loads of potential, and this could be the year he reaches it.