Dave Toub declares Kansas City Chiefs' second-year star as 'the league's best punt returner nobody knows about'

The Chiefs had to make a lot of adjustments on the fly last season.

Among them was speeding up the development of 2024 first-round draft pick Xavier Worthy. When Hollywood Brown and Rashee Rice went down with injuries, Worthy was suddenly Kansas City's No. 1 wide receiver.

Worthy eventually rose to the challenge and was great for the Chiefs down the stretch of the regular season and during the playoffs, catching an average of six passes and 85 total yards over his last eight games. One area in which the Chiefs missed Worthy was special teams. 

With Brown and Rice out of action, they couldn't afford to risk Worthy getting hurt while returning kicks. With those two now healthy, and the addition of rookie Jalen Royals, that could change in 2025. While speaking to the media following OTAs on Wednesday, special teams coordinator Dave Toub gave Worthy a ringing endorsement as a punt returner.

"Worthy, he'll be in the mix," Toub said. "Now, if you remember, he was going to be our guy (last year). He planned on being our guy until Rashee Rice got hurt, and that changed everything for that dynamic. He ended up being the No. 1 (WR) for us last year, so we couldn't afford to have him back there. I say he's the best punt returner nobody knows about right now in the league. So, hopefully we get him back there too."

Worthy didn't play a single snap on special teams in 2024, but during his collegiate days at Texas he fielded 40 punts for an average of 14.1 yards per return and one touchdown. He was particularly explosive during his junior year in 2023, averaging 16.9 yards per return. 

Getting Worthy in the mix as a return specialist would be huge for the Chiefs in 2025. They haven't had a punt returned for a touchdown since Mecole Hardman did it back in 2020. Worthy is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball, recording six receiving and three rushing touchdowns last season.