Patrick Mahomes is intent on finding that third level: the deep ball that made him famous. With Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy on the receiving end of the passes, Mahomes has turned that far-off, low-percentage spot on the field into his playground.
The Kansas City Chiefs are eager to put last season's lackluster offense behind them, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes is leading the charge with a renewed focus on the deep ball. At training camp this year, the Chiefs have been airing out the ball so aggressively, it's like they've found a fourth level — almost Hail Mary territory.
With Hollywood Brown and Xavier Worthy on the receiving end of the passes, Mahomes has turned that far-off, low-percentage spot on the field into his playground. "Coach Reid likes to go deep," offensive coordinator Matt Nagy told reporters during camp. "We're going to try to go deep as much as we can and try to play off what we have or what they give us."
Mahomes Unleashes the Deep Ball, Signaling a New Era for the Chiefs
Even in the Missouri heat, Worthy and Brown were streaking downfield all practice long. It's enough to remind you of Tyreek Hill. And maybe — just maybe — the Chiefs have finally found a guy who's comparable. Or, in this case, maybe they've found two guys who are comparable.
Now, let's be clear: Mahomes has been beating the second-team defense. But Mahomes is uncorking half-court passes. There can't be another training camp around the NFL with this level of emphasis on the deep ball. This Chiefs offense is vertical, vertical, vertical.
There's no doubt that Travis Kelce and Rashee Rice will attack the intermediate areas. But there's also no doubt that Andy Reid and Mahomes are done only attacking those areas. "The room is just different types of players now," receiver Skyy Moore said Sunday after practice. "We're stacked. We've got everything you want in a receiver room. I feel like we've got one of the best receiver rooms in the league."
Last season, Mahomes completed his fewest deep passes of his career with 18, which paled in comparison to the career-best 44 he posted in 2018. Mahomes also tossed 210 passes to his running backs and tight ends in 2023, the most in the NFL. Mahomes was a check-down king. And it was a damn shame.
Those days appear to be over. It might not be time to call off the search for The Next Tyreek. But clearly, Brown and Worthy are clicking in this offense in a way that Moore and Kadarius Toney have not previously. Brown and Worthy are now the guys catching the deep passes from Mahomes.
Brown, Worthy, Rice and Mecole Hardman are locks to make the team. Justin Watson is right there, too. But Moore, Toney and Justyn Ross are all in danger of losing the last spot to Nikko Remigio, a second-year receiver who has had a special camp and got early reps with the first-team offense on Sunday.
General manager Brett Veach brought in a new group of pass-catchers to give Reid and Mahomes what they wanted: more deep passes. Brown is on a one-year deal worth up to $7 million. He's following the pattern set by JuJu Smith-Schuster in 2022 — taking a season at a discounted salary in Kansas City to rebuild his stock.
The Chiefs traded up in the first-round to snag the Texas speedster, Worthy, the fastest player in NFL Combine history in the 40-yard dash. The downfield production has already made life easier for Mahomes in practice. Once the Chiefs receivers started lengthening the team's range, that opened things up for Rice and Kelce in the middle.
The Chiefs now know they can't replace Hill. But they're making every effort to get someone like him into place. And that place has been deep down the field, catching bomb after bomb throughout camp.
