Chiefs are looking for big year from WR in 2023

Chiefs HC Andy Reid has strong take on recent NFL news

The Kansas City Chiefs needed help at the wide receiver position last year after trading Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins and now, they need it after losing JuJu Smith-Schuster to the New England Patriots and Mecole Hardman to the New York Jets.

According to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, they already have an answer on the roster in second-year receiver Skyy Moore.

 Chiefs are looking for big year from WR in 2023

“We are expecting Skyy Moore to step up,” Reid told reporters Monday. “We’ll just see how everything else works. We got the same guys coming back that we had, and we like that group with the exception of JuJu [Smith-Schuster]. Mecole [Hardman] was banged up a little bit, so he didn’t have a chance to play as much as he would have wanted. We’ll work out the thing without JuJu. Somebody will have to step up and take that spot.”

The key with Smith-Schuster’s departure is the 358 slot snaps (including postseason) that departed with him. That easily led the Chiefs in 2022. And, the key with Hardman’s departure is the vertical threat and the variety he brought to the Chiefs offense.

 Chiefs are looking for big year from WR in 2023

Well, Moore can do all of those things. Per Pro Football Focus, 51.2% of his targets came out of the slot and he caught 15 passes for 157-yards and a touchdown, as well.

His 4.41 40-yard dash and his elite 10-yard split show how he can get deep, quickly. His versatility was on display in certain moments last year, as well.

Moore finished 2022 with 24 rushing yards on three carries and per Sports Info Solutions, he finished second on the Chiefs roster when it came to running routes classified as a jet sweep pass route, leak route, wheel route, or screen.

 Chiefs are looking for big year from WR in 2023

Now, no one is saying Moore is going to replace the production of Smith-Schuster and Hardman. That would be an impossible ask and major logical fallacy on the Chiefs coaching staff’s end.

But, he’s versatile enough -and the Chiefs use their receivers in a variety of ways- to where he can certainly help make up a lot of the production.

Moore just has to put it all together. Fortunately, he has arguably the NFL’s best coaching staff to help him get there.

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