Xavier Worthy Absent from Second Consecutive Chiefs Practice with Illness – Injury Report

After a high-octane start to training camp, Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy is absent from practice again on Tuesday.

Texas Longhorns wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) walks the field during practice at the Superdome on Thursday, Dec. 28, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. The Texas Longhorns will face the Washington Huskies in the Sugar Bowl on January 1, 2024. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman /

In the Kansas City Chiefs' first full-team practice of training camp, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy made waves by hauling in a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes. Unfortunately, Worthy wasn't able to repeat those performances in the following days, as Worthy missed Monday's practice and appears to be missing Tuesday's practice due to an illness.

On Tuesday morning, Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest provided specifics on Worthy's illness and the team's plan for the young speedster:

"Worthy has been dealing with a case of strep throat, per source, and Chiefs want to keep him isolated for now," Derrick posted on Twitter/X.

GET USED TO IT 🔥

Mahomes scrambles to find Xavier Worthy DEEP for the touchdown pic.twitter.com/qqEQrwSuyO

— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) July 21, 2024

Is Worthy's illness cause for concern?

Worthy missed the vast majority of the Chiefs' on-field work at rookie camp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp earlier this year due to a nagging hamstring injury. While Worthy's illness certainly shouldn't be a long-term concern, it does delay his on-field work with Mahomes and potential early progress in the Chiefs' offense.

Erring on the side of concern, Worthy already had a steep hill to climb as a rookie pass-catcher integrating into Andy Reid's offense. Any reps the young speedster can get in July would be a good thing for his development; missing on-field work for any reason is at least a mild setback in the short-term.

Other injury report updates

• Starting safety Justin Reid remains on the non-football injury list after defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said on Monday that the defense was "not going to have [Reid] for a little bit here."
• Cornerback Kelvin Joseph was not spotted at practice for a second-consecutive day, per Derrick. Joseph was absent for personal reasons on Monday.

Read More: Chiefs Starting CB Battle Opposite Trent McDuffie 'Pretty Open'