For Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy, the 1st goal is to stay healthy longer than 3 plays
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- Worthy wore a non‑contact yellow jersey during OTAs (year not specified).
- Worthy suffered a torn labrum on the third snap of his second season and had surgery.
- Worthy recorded 42 receptions for 532 yards and one touchdown in 2025.
Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy operated with the non-contact yellow jersey during OTAs, but he’s confident that such limitations won’t be part of his third pro season.
A rookie adjusting to NFL game speed ... a torn labrum suffered on the third snap of his second season, followed by surgery and rehabilitation ...
Worthy is just ready to begin the healthy-veteran part of his career.
“I’d definitely say that’s not a true indication of what I am,” he said of last season. “I was limited in certain things. I want to come back out here and show my ability and what I can do.”
After the shoulder injury suffered in a collision with tight end Travis Kelce, Worthy missed the remainder of that opening game against the L.A. Chargers in Brazil. He also missed the next two before returning in Week 4.
He gutted out the rest of season at less than 100%, his route tree reduced by the injury, and finished with statistics that understandably dropped from the previous season.
His 42 receptions for 532 yards in 2025 ranked behind Rashee Rice and Marquise “Hollywood” Brown in both categories, and there was just one touchdown reception.
As a rookie, Worthy — the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick in 2024 out of Texas — topped Kansas City’s wide receivers with 59 receptions for 638 yards and six touchdowns.
The first game of his rookie season stood in sharp contrast to the opener of his second year: He had a receiving touchdown and a rushing touchdown in a victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
The most productive game of his career came in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, with personal bests of 157 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions.
The Chiefs need a boost from the entire position group this year. It seems remarkable that the team with Patrick Mahomes, who became the NFL’s top paid quarterback with a contract extension this week, led an offense that finished 16th in passing yards and 21st in touchdowns this past season.
A healthier Worthy will be central to the team’s improvement, as will the return of fellow wideout Tyquan Thornton. Rice, who is in the final few days of serving a jail sentence in Texas, should be back for training camp starting in July. Jalen Royals and Nikko Remigio return, and the Chiefs selected Cyrus Allen from Cincinnati in the fifth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Among departures, the Chiefs lost Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster from last season.
“We didn’t do what we needed to do last year,” Worthy said.
The Chiefs replace their position coach and hired Chad O’Shea, who spent the previous six years with the Cleveland Browns and was with the New England Patriots for three Super Bowl championship seasons between 2009 and 2018.
Worthy favors O’Shea’s vocal, animated style.
“His energy is unmatched,” Worthy said. “I feel like that’s something that the young guys kind of need, somebody to push them.”
Worthy doesn’t need much additional motivation. On the eve of his third season, he’s ready for the chance to flash the skills, speed and athleticism that made him the team’s first first-round wide receiver pick since 2011
“Obviously I know the kind of player I can be,” Worthy said. “The things I can do on the field and what I can bring to the team.”
This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 1:29 PM with the headline "For Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy, the 1st goal is to stay healthy longer than 3 plays."