Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy has the opportunity to coach DeAndre Hopkins, one of the best wide receivers of his era. The 32-year-old has earned many accolades over the years and has experience that he can use to help his younger teammates.
“The biggest thing is probably going to show up on game day,” said Nagy during his press conference last Thursday. “I think once he (DeAndre Hopkins) gets in there and he starts seeing the connection of understanding the routes that we call, the concepts that we call, and then how the timing works with the guy in front of him – playing man, understanding zone and how to figure out different ways in zone to get open.”
Hopkins is seeking a Super Bowl title, playing meaningful games for the first time in years. He understands the Chiefs’ lack of depth due to injuries and is one of the few active veteran players who can help bring along a rookie like Xavier Worthy.
“With that is us also making sure that he understands our practice tempo Monday through – or really, Wednesday through Saturday. Then, those guys bonding together in that room – (I’m) talking about the wide receivers – and growing together and then building that core of confidence and the ability to play fast and make it work with Pat (Patrick Mahomes).”
The Chiefs could get JuJu Smith-Schuster back at some point this season to add more experience on the field. The next few weeks will be crucial for Worthy, who will likely start alongside Hopkins.
