The Kansas City Chiefs’ young crop of wide receivers will see opportunities at training camp and in the preseason to prove the team made the correct decision to not add more veterans. The next few weeks will determine who is ready to take that next step in their development and help push forward one of the best offenses in the league.
Rookie Rashee Rice and emerging wideout Justyn Ross are among the most talked about in the receivers group. Veteran pass-catcher Marquez Valdes-Scantling discussed the similarities of the two with reporters after practice on Saturday.
“Those guys remind me a lot of myself as a rookie, just their size and now how they move, especially Justyn Ross,” Valdes-Scantling explained. “So, you know, that’s one of those guys that [I have] kind of just taken under my wing. I [just] tell them to be themselves, you know, they’re here for a reason they’re talented. Don’t let the moment get too big, [there is] no pressure. It’s just football stuff you’ve been doing your whole life.”
Valdes-Scantling was a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes on multiple occasions, hooking up with the reigning MVP on several long pass plays and building immediate chemistry over the course of his first season in Kansas City. The veteran’s awareness and maturity will be essential for Rice and Ross to latch on to as they attempt to build their names in the league.
