Matt Nagy Explains Importance of Mental Reps for Xavier Worthy

While Worthy is sidelined with a hamstring injury at OTAs, Nagy believes the process has still been extremely valuable for him thus far.

Oct 12, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy on field against the Denver Broncos prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Two of three OTA sessions are in the books for the Kansas City Chiefs, yet rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy has yet to make much progress on the field. A nagging hamstring injury is keeping him out of practice, forcing him to take mental reps away from the action.

Despite that, the franchise seems confident in Worthy's overall growth. At the end of session one last week, head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes both gushed over the Texas product's football smarts and ability to hit the ground running. They believe that even if Worthy isn't participating in this glorified passing camp, he's still getting value from it.

Add offensive coordinator Matt Nagy to the list of those who also think it's true. Speaking to the media on Thursday, Nagy emphasized that mental exposure is just as critical for Worthy as physically doing what he's tasked with.

"A lot of mental," Nagy said. "I know [from] discussing it with you guys last year with Rashee (Rice) and kind of going through the process, we throw a lot to these guys in practice mentally. So right now, the biggest thing is for him to understand what we do offensively. And then not just one position, but all the positions. So for him, I think it's really valuable for him to be able to tell me while we're standing there in practice where he's supposed to go and what he's supposed to do more so than the physical routes. It's been really good for him, he's been great."

The Rice model isn't necessarily a guarantee for how Worthy will be taught, but there certainly was a focus placed on fostering a good learning environment. Positional versatility, timing and chemistry with Mahomes are all essential elements of thriving in the offense. It took Rice months to get some of those down, and he's still an unfinished product in offseason No. 2.

Throughout the summer and fall of 2023, though, Nagy was steadfast in campaigning for patience with Rice. Although he'd acknowledge the rookie's talent and upside, he relayed that there was plenty of room for growth. Nagy looks to be following a similar path with Worthy, which is far from the worst thing.

Following the Chiefs' draft selection of Worthy, the club's front office and coaching staff spoke about his intelligence. There's no worry that being a slow starter at OTAs will have any impact on the rest of his offseason. In fact, they're spinning it into more of a positive as he gains more and more confidence in the concepts he'll eventually be asked to execute. The Reid system is equal parts mental and physical, if not skewing more to the cognitive side.

For now, the back-to-back reigning champions won't rush their prized draft pick into anything. Mahomes indicated last week that if Worthy needed to be active, he would be. This is a wise approach as the calendar flips from May to June.

Get Worthy back to 100% first, then add more to his plate. For now, Nagy and Co. appear to be fine with where things are at.

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