Chiefs 'Excited' for Xavier Worthy to Work Past Injury in OTAs

Worthy wasn't practicing to close out KC's first OTA session, but Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are confident in his ability to get up to speed soon.

Apr 25, 2024; Detroit, MI, USA; Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy is selected as the No. 28 pick of the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2024 NFL Draft at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs' first session of OTA workouts is in the books, and the reigning Super Bowl champs will return next week for more work. Their hope is that as they progress this offseason, wide receiver Xavier Worthy will rejoin them in 100% capacity.

Worthy, the No. 28 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, suffered a minor hamstring injury this month. He was on the field with his teammates on Wednesday, although the speedy wideout didn't get to practice. As a result, he missed out on what would've been his first real exposure to full-team drills.

Despite the injury, head coach Andy Reid isn't worried about his rookie falling behind. Speaking to the media after session one, Reid tipped his cap to Worthy for being a smart player and picking up whatever's been thrown his way thus far.

“No, he didn’t practice today," Reid said. "He tweaked his hamstring the other day, so he didn’t practice today. What we saw was somebody that was smart, understood what was being thrown at him and then somebody that can run pretty fast. We just basically got through the introduction stuff to him, so he was only out there for a day and a half but he got a nice introduction to things.”

During Phase Three of the offseason, things get serious for all 32 clubs. While OTAs are voluntary, there's a mandatory minicamp less than a month away for Kansas City that will require everyone to be in attendance and work out if they can. It's a different ballgame than something like Phase One, which quarterback Patrick Mahomes oftentimes hosts with his pass-catchers down in Texas.

Worthy has experience working with Mahomes, but doing so in OTAs will help that relationship become even stronger. Reid thinks Worthy will hit the ground running once he's healthy, as he already has somewhat of a foundation for what is expected of him as a pro.

“When he gets back, we’ll take it from there," Reid said. "He’s a smart kid, he’s got a good feel for things. (He) comes from a good system. He’s done a few of the things we’ve done in college, so he’ll just work through that and I think we’ll be alright. He’ll get enough reps as we go.”

Worthy shined in his final season at Texas, hauling in 75 passes for 1,014 yards and five touchdowns. Additionally, he averaged a scorching 16.9 yards per punt return and had a special teams score. The wiry receiver then shattered the NFL Scouting Combine record for fastest 40-yard dash time, making him a projected first-round pick. The Chiefs struck while the iron was hot, moving up a few spots to snag him late in the opening round last month.

The 21-year-old is an intriguing fit in an offense that desperately needed his big-play ability. Reid is confident that his skills will translate once healthy, and Mahomes is no different. With a handful of days until the next leg of OTAs, Kansas City will exercise caution with Worthy. Mahomes is chomping at the bit to pick up where he and his new target left off, though.

“I think you can tell how intelligent he is, he is asking the right questions," Mahomes said. "Before he had the hamstring thing, he was getting the work in. Sometimes it’s tough with those guys coming off combine training and they want to prove what they can do from day one and little injuries like that happen. We’re going to be precautionary right now – he could probably get out there if we really wanted him to. You can see he’s sitting right beside the guys asking all the right questions and whenever he does get back on the field, I’m excited to get to work with him.”

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