After largely being carried to a Super Bowl ring as a rookie last season, one Kansas City Chief will likely be doing some lifting of his own in 2023.
Speaking this week with Steve Wyche of NFL Network, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said that he expects a bigger role for wide receiver Skyy Moore next season after the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman.
“We are expecting Skyy Moore to step up,” Reid said. “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.
“Mecole was banged up a little bit so he didn’t have a chance to play as much as he would have wanted,” Reid went on. “We’ll work out the thing without JuJu. Somebody will have to step up and take that spot.”
The 22-year-old Moore was Kansas City’s second-round draft pick in 2022 (No. 54 overall). He was mostly an afterthought in the offense as a rookie, finishing with just 22 catches for 250 yards. But in the little run that he did get, Moore showed off some great footwork and separation ability. He also had a huge moment in the Super Bowl, coming down with the Chiefs’ final touchdown of the game in their eventual 38-35 victory over Philadelphia.
Skyy Moore cooking Derwin James
— Chris (@chiefs_outsider) March 17, 2023
Skyy Moore with some toe drag swag 😍pic.twitter.com/aC58WfdiOA
— Chiefs Core (@ChiefsCore) August 13, 2022
How cool was it that Skyy Moore had his first ever TD of the season at the Super Bowl! 🔥 pic.twitter.com/aD8tJTZOel
— Brad Henson Productions (@BradHensonPro) March 4, 2023
With the losses of Smith-Schuster and Hardman in free agency (both to teams in the AFC East), Kansas City’s wide receiver room is now a bit thin. Kadarius Toney is injury-prone, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling is more of a one-dimensional deep threat. That creates a big window of opportunity for the former Western Michigan star Moore, and Reid is expecting him to run right through it.
Chiefs fans, you’ll love this Andy Reid cheeseburger shirt. Reid loves his cheeseburgers, and you can wear it. This makes a perfect gift for you or a friend. You can buy it here.
