Xavier Worthy Returns to Practice at Chiefs Training Camp

After a brief absence, Kansas City's first-round pick is back with his teammates on the practice field.

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy (WO40) talks to the media during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

All is well in the wide receiver room at Kansas City Chiefs training camp, as the club got one of its most talented young players back on Friday.

Following a three-day absence at the Missouri Western State University campus, first-round pick Xavier Worthy returned to practice. The No. 28 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft is on the field with his teammates as the morning's work begins and pads come on for the first time.

Many in Chiefs circles were concerned when Worthy, who's been nursing a hamstring injury, wasn't spotted at Monday's practice. Following camp for the day, the team said he had an illness and cornerback Kelvin Joseph (also absent) was excused for personal reasons. The illness for Worthy was later reported by Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest as strep throat. Considering how the hamstring has held him back this offseason, that was deemed far from the worst-case scenario for the back-to-back Super Bowl champs.

While missing a few days due to the illness will undoubtedly come at the expense of some progress, it's not a massive misfortune in the grand scheme of things. Worthy has logged plenty of mental reps during the offseason program and had a terrific opening practice on Sunday. He'll continue to make progress now that he's on the field again.

Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy coming down the hill with pads and helmet. We will see how much he does in his return from strep throat. pic.twitter.com/UDtiBgsjAw

— Matt Derrick (@mattderrick) July 26, 2024

With that said, the Chiefs do need to see Worthy consistently make plays and be available in camp. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes discussed that last week, saying there's no taking it easy with the former Texas standout.

"I mean, there's no easing," Mahomes said. "He's going to have to be ready to go. We've got a lot of competition on this offense. Brett Veach and Coach Reid did a great job bringing a lot of competition in. Xavier, he got a lot of mental work in these last few weeks that he had during OTAs and minicamp, but it's time to go now. You all saw it with Rashee (Rice) last year and some of the throwing-up days he had. We're going to push you to the limit and prepare yourself to be ready to go for the season. That's not just him, that's everybody, and everybody has to have that mentality when they come into camp."

Now that Worthy has returned, he can resume installs and building chemistry with Mahomes and company.

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