As training camp unfolded for the Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy was often a topic of conversation. The fastest player in NFL Scouting Combine history was making splash play after splash play in training camp, and his speed — paired with the right arm of Patrick Mahomes — made for a dangerous combination.
However, Worthy quickly went viral for another reason this summer, when a clip from practice of the rookie wide receiver struggling against press coverage surfaced.
For young receivers, adjusting to the physical nature of NFL cornerbacks is part of the learning curve. Between Worthy and second-year WR Rashee Rice, Kansas City has a pair of young WRs that are working through that process. That adjustment is even tougher for smaller receivers, such as Worthy, who is listed at 5’11 and 165 pounds.
However, on opening night against the Baltimore Ravens, the young duo put up big numbers. Worthy caught a pair of passes for 47 yards and a touchdown — adding a rushing touchdown on an end around — while Rice pulled in a team-high seven passes for 103 yards.
Part of the reason for their success? How Kansas City head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy aligned the two receivers, giving them some free releases off the line of scrimmage.
Take Mahomes’ first completion of the year, this 11-yard completion on a slant route to Rice:
Rice aligns at the top of the screen, in a stack with Worthy. Worthy is on the line of scrimmage while Rice is off the line, just to the outside of his teammate’s alignment. Aligned across from Worthy is Marlon Humphrey, a veteran cornerback and one of the best in the game.
Worthy and Rice run a switch slant/flat concept, with Worthy breaking to the outside and Rice slicing inside. Humphrey is tasked with covering Rice on the in-breaking route, but with Worthy’s alignment and release creating some traffic, Humphrey cannot get his hands on Rice off the line, and the second-year WR has the immediate advantage.
Here is another example from Thursday night. This time Rice is part of a three-receiver bunch and begins the play aligned inside of Worthy and Justin Watson. But just before the snap, he motions to an outside alignment.
As the play begins both Worthy and Watson release vertically, creating a “shield” of sorts as Rice slices underneath on a shallow crosser. He gets matched up with Roquan Smith, and while the linebacker is athletic, giving Rice a free release — and a head start — is a big advantage for the receiver:
Kansas City used a similar design for one of Worthy’s receptions, this 12-yard completion on a shallow crossing route in the second quarter. He starts aligned outside of Watson and Rice, and while they release vertically, he comes across the field underneath:
Baltimore has defensive back Brandon Stephens in coverage on Rice, but the traffic created by Watson and Rice gives Worthy a big advantage as he rockets across the field, and away from Stephens trying his best to close ground.
This concept was also part of a completion in the fourth quarter from Mahomes to Rice. The second-year WR aligns to the inside of a three-WR bunch on the right side of the formation, and after short motion towards the right tackle, he reverses course and heads back outside.
Worthy and Watson again create traffic for him, and Rice breaks to the right flat. The traffic causes trouble again for Stephens, who picks his way through the bodies and closes the gap, but not before an eight-yard gain:
Creating traffic for receivers, and finding ways to give them advantageous releases off the line of scrimmage, is certainly not a new concept in the NFL. Teams have been finding ways to give their receivers advantages like this for years, with perhaps the most recent development in this department the “cheat motion” the Miami Dolphins unveiled for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle under Mike McDaniel.
But anytime you can pair advantageous releases like these, with a quarterback like Mahomes?
You are going to give defensive coordinators nightmares.
