Patrick Mahomes may have found a new No. 2 in the passing game behind Travis Kelce.
The defending champion Kansas City Chiefs opened up training camp this week, and Mahomes might already have a new favorite wide receiver target. John Dillon of Chiefs Wire reported Sunday that veteran wideout Richie James has stood out from the others at his position to begin camp. Dillon adds that James “stole the show” with his route-running and reliable hands.
KC Sports Network shared a clip of a nice contested grab that James pulled in from Mahomes at one point.
Patrick Mahomes finds Richie James in traffic 👀 pic.twitter.com/bJDBUM51Ce
— KC Sports Network (@KCSportsNetwork) July 23, 2023
The Chiefs also posted a video of James showing off nice chemistry with Mahomes on the deep ball.
This was pretty by Richie James. 💨 @Senseispunk pic.twitter.com/YX0RyOhUb9
— Lexi (@lexiosborne) July 23, 2023
The 27-year-old James, previously with the New York Giants, just signed with the Chiefs in April. Kansas City traded Tyreek Hill last offseason and let Hill’s effective replacement (JuJu Smith-Schuster) walk in free agency this offseason. That opens up a real opportunity for a veteran like James to have a prominent role, especially since his only competition is Skyy Moore (an unproven 22-year-old), Kadarius Toney (unreliable due to injuries), and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (mostly a one-dimensional home-run threat).
James hadn’t really broken out yet over four seasons with the Giants and the San Francisco 49ers. But with Mahomes throwing him the ball instead of a Daniel Jones, a Jimmy Garoppolo, or a Nick Mullens, James could emerge as a consistent weapon. That would be superb news for the Chiefs, especially since things aren’t going too well at camp so far on the other side of the ball.
