Insider Details Where KC Chiefs Went Wrong at Wide Receiver in 2023

One specific miscalculation can help explain part of Kansas City's wideout shortcomings this season.

The Kansas City Chiefs qualify as a good offense by many measures: true. The Chiefs' offense is still nothing close to what it's previously been with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback: also true.

Mahomes himself can shoulder part of the blame for the offense's shortcomings, as can head coach Andy Reid, offensive coordinator Matt Nagy and the Kansas City offensive line. The biggest culprit might be the wide receiver room, which is something that's remained consistent all season long. Despite that, there has yet to be a solution to the perceived problem.

The Chiefs didn't make an effort to add a high-level playmaker at the trade deadline. They're making some tweaks to snap counts at the position, but those changes haven't led to big-time improvement. No one is ascending to the top, which is what NFL Network's James Palmer discussed on Tuesday. Palmer reports that Kansas City still thinks its wideout group can get better after its struggles through nine weeks:

"We were wondering at the trade deadline whether they were going to make a move. They didn't make a whole lot of calls, to my understanding. They didn't receive a whole lot of calls. They were not active. They do think they're going to get out of this, maybe like they did in the past with the way their defense has played better as the year goes on. But to me, when a team goes and shuts down Travis Kelce like the Dolphins did — what was it, three catches for 14 yards? — somebody else has to step up. There's been no consistency out there."

The Chiefs allowed JuJu Smith-Schuster to walk via free agency during the offseason, also doing the same for Mecole Hardman. They subsequently banked on players like Justin Watson, Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and rookie Rashee Rice to make up a formidable group. Success has varied this year, with a couple of the aforementioned two stepping up but others stepping back or standing in place and Hardman being re-acquired via trade. The result is a lackluster — and potentially troublesome — group. 

How did the Chiefs get here? Who is to blame for the receivers' failure to meet the bar set for them months ago? Palmer indicates that the bar may have simply been too high, especially for one specific player. The Toney messaging was consistent all offseason; Kansas City believed he could emerge as a No. 1 (or No. 2, considering Travis Kelce) option with an offseason of experience and growth in the system. Instead, Toney has been less effective now than he was after being traded for at the 2022 deadline. The faith in Toney simply hasn't been rewarded:

"To me, what stands out the most [is] they've relied on a big question mark in Kadarius Toney. They wanted him to be their No. 1 receiving option [and] they thought they could use him in a variety of ways. It just hasn't happened. I don't even think he's in the top 150 in receiving this season. I believe he has 20 catches for 127 yards. What I do think will help them, Steve? They haven't really used Jet McKinnon a whole lot so far; I think he's going to be an addition to this group down the stretch."

The biggest challenge for the Chiefs during their bye week is to figure out what the magic key is that will unlock the upside of this current group. Even finding consistency would help a great deal, as drops and miscommunications have been commonplace in the club's first nine games. Whether it's Toney, Moore, Valdes-Scantling or even McKinnon (a running back), someone else needs to be a reliable contributor in the passing game. Palmer notes that a ton of eggs were put in the Toney basket and it hasn't panned out, with Kansas City learning that it must find a way to pivot.

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