It took 3 plays for Xavier Worthy to make the Chiefs WR problems even worse

The Kansas City Chiefs are already trying to weather concerns at wide receiver as they enter the regular season. After their first series—a three-and-out to start the team's opening game against the Los Angeles Chargers—Kansas City is dealing with another worry after watching Xavier Worthy get hurt.

Worthy injured his shoulder on the third play of the game, and he was slow to get up. While he left the field on his own power, he was taken back to the locker room. Shortly thereafter, he was designated as out for the rest of the game.

The Chiefs are dependent upon Worthy for multiple reasons at this stage, most notably because he had a tremendous run at the end of his rookie year in 2024. Worthy had 19 catches for 287 yards and 3 touchdowns in the postseason, and while the Chiefs were ultimately denied their quest for a three-peat, the emergence of Worthy as a trusted downfield target was a strong silver lining.

The Chiefs WR woes are already starting just one series into a new season.

Beyond Worthy's elite speed and metamorphosis into a favorite target of Mahomes, the Chiefs are also dealing with missing persons in the wide receiver room.

Rashee Rice is serving the first game of a six-game suspension levied by the NFL to start the year, which takes him out through Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Rice is Mahomes go-to at this point, so his absence is felt in every aspect of the game plan.

Even beyond Rice's absence, the Chiefs are also without rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals in the opening game as he continues to deal with tendinitis in his knee. The rookie was left inactive and the Chiefs should have him back soon—which is why he's not on injured reserve—but it's another way the Chiefs are thin.

General manager Brett Veach tried to keep the cupboards as stocked as he could going into the preseason by keeping eight receivers. That means Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio, and Jason Brownlee all earned spots on the 53-man roster. But instead of serving as fringe players who might earn an occasional look, a much larger burden suddenly falls on their shoulders.

The Chiefs have been dealing with a limited deck at wide receiver for the last few years as attempts to bolster the position have flopped—one after the other. From Skyy Moore to Kadarius Toney, the WR room has forced Patrick Mahomes to cook with subpar ingredients. Now it seems as if the early season could be trending in the same direction with the loss of one of the team's most impactful weapons.