{"id":1008,"date":"2026-07-16T19:20:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:20:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=1008"},"modified":"2026-07-16T19:21:44","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T19:21:44","slug":"chiefs-breakout-candidate-xavier-worthy-is-ready-to-take-major-step-forward-after-offseason-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/?p=1008","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Breakout Candidate Xavier Worthy Is Ready to Take Major Step Forward After Offseason Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-1010\" src=\"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/745542115_1671922870587277_2103991259093717444_n-240x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"240\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/745542115_1671922870587277_2103991259093717444_n-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/745542115_1671922870587277_2103991259093717444_n-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/745542115_1671922870587277_2103991259093717444_n.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 240px) 100vw, 240px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>he\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0are counting on\u00a0Xavier Worthy\u00a0to become one of the biggest difference-makers on offense in 2026.<\/p>\n<p>After an injury-limited second season, the former first-round pick is entering training camp healthy and motivated, drawing widespread praise as analysts search for the NFL\u2019s next breakout stars.<\/p>\n<p>In a league-wide preview ahead of training camp,\u00a0The Athletic\u00a0selected Worthy as Kansas City\u2019s breakout candidate for the upcoming season, citing his health, growing chemistry with quarterback\u00a0Patrick Mahomes\u00a0and a much larger role in the offense.<\/p>\n<p>The prediction comes after Worthy spent much of last season playing through a torn labrum, an injury that significantly limited what he could do on the field.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Xavier Worthy Says Injuries Limited His Game<\/h2>\n<div id=\"98b5b0a7cab87a58548eace167da8492\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"lazy-embed lazy-embed--ssr embed-instagram-com lazy-embed--loaded\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZsTXfsAG0n\/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-0\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DZsTXfsAG0n\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=656&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com&amp;rp=%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fkansas-city-chiefs%2Fchiefs-breakout-candidate-xavier-worthy-is-ready-to-take-major-step-forward-after-offseason-surgery%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dmrf-facebook-HeavyOnChiefs%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medi#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A4212.600000023842%7D\" height=\"1168\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-0\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>According to the outlet, Worthy was one of Kansas City\u2019s standout performers during offseason practices.<\/p>\n<p>The publication noted that if the Chiefs had a summer practice MVP, Worthy would have been a leading candidate after consistently connecting with Mahomes throughout workouts.<\/p>\n<p>The 23-year-old also enters the season at full strength after undergoing shoulder surgery during the offseason.<\/p>\n<p>Coach\u00a0Andy Reid\u00a0previously explained that the torn labrum forced the coaching staff to limit Worthy\u2019s route tree throughout the 2025 season.<\/p>\n<p>Worthy believes the injury prevented fans from seeing the player he knows he can be.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d definitely say that\u2019s not a true indication of what I am,\u201d Worthy told\u00a0The Kansas City Star\u00a0in June. \u201cI was limited in certain things. I want to come back out here and show my ability and what I can do.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The speedy receiver finished his rookie season with 59 catches for 638 yards and six touchdowns, leading Kansas City\u2019s wide receivers in receiving yards.<\/p>\n<p>His second campaign never gained momentum after he suffered the shoulder injury just three offensive snaps into the season. Worthy finished with 532 receiving yards and one touchdown in 14 games.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe didn\u2019t do what we needed to do last year,\u201d Worthy said.<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cObviously I know the kind of player I can be. The things I can do on the field and what I can bring to the team.\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Chiefs Are Counting on Worthy to Help Revive the Passing Game<\/h2>\n<p>Kansas City\u2019s passing attack struggled throughout the 2025 season, even before Mahomes missed time because of injury.<\/p>\n<p>No Chiefs wide receiver reached 600 receiving yards as the group failed to consistently produce explosive plays.<\/p>\n<p>The combination of Worthy,\u00a0Rashee Rice, Hollywood Brown,\u00a0JuJu Smith-Schuster\u00a0and\u00a0Tyquan Thornton\u00a0entered last season with high expectations, but injuries and inconsistency prevented the unit from developing into one of the league\u2019s top receiving corps.<\/p>\n<p>Rather than making major additions at wide receiver this offseason, the Chiefs largely chose continuity.<\/p>\n<p>Brown and Smith-Schuster departed, while fifth-round rookie\u00a0Cyrus Allen\u00a0was the team\u2019s biggest addition at the position. Instead, Kansas City is betting on healthier seasons from Worthy, Rice and Thornton, along with an improved running game led by\u00a0Kenneth Walker III, to help the offense return to form.<\/p>\n<p>If Worthy can regain the explosiveness that made him one of college football\u2019s most dangerous deep threats, he could become Mahomes\u2019 primary vertical weapon.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<h2>Xavier Worthy Continues Giving Back to His Hometown<\/h2>\n<div id=\"9158ab75f9952d8d4ea348abcb766b7c\" class=\"embed_container\">\n<div class=\"lazy-embed lazy-embed--ssr embed-instagram-com lazy-embed--loaded\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DajQ-4gGUht\/?hl=en&amp;img_index=1\"><iframe id=\"instagram-embed-1\" class=\"instagram-media instagram-media-rendered\" src=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DajQ-4gGUht\/embed\/captioned\/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=656&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fheavy.com&amp;rp=%2Fsports%2Fnfl%2Fkansas-city-chiefs%2Fchiefs-breakout-candidate-xavier-worthy-is-ready-to-take-major-step-forward-after-offseason-surgery%2F%3Futm_campaign%3Dmrf-facebook-HeavyOnChiefs%26utm_source%3Dfacebook%26utm_medi#%7B%22ci%22%3A1%2C%22os%22%3A4214.300000071526%7D\" height=\"1546\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" data-instgrm-payload-id=\"instagram-media-payload-1\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Away from football, Worthy has continued investing in his hometown of Fresno, California.<\/p>\n<p>For the second consecutive year, he\u00a0returned to the Central Valley\u00a0to host the Dream B1G\u00a0Xavier Worthy\u00a0Football Camp at Edison High School.<\/p>\n<p>The free event welcomed 375 local boys and girls for a day of football instruction, drills and mentorship.<\/p>\n<p>The camp focused on teaching young athletes skills both on and off the field while offering participants the opportunity to learn directly from one of the NFL\u2019s fastest players.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>he\u00a0Kansas City Chiefs\u00a0are counting on\u00a0Xavier Worthy\u00a0to become one of the biggest difference-makers on offense in 2026. After an injury-limited second season, the former first-round pick is entering training camp healthy &hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8,1],"tags":[2,14,13,3,17,4,12,5,16],"class_list":["post-1008","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl","category-trending","tag-breaking-news","tag-celebrity-weddings","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-nfl","tag-patrick-mahomes","tag-taykorswift","tag-taylor-swift-and-travis-kelce-wedding","tag-traviskelce","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1008"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1011,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1008\/revisions\/1011"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1008"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1008"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thejoeroganpod.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1008"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}