The Chiefs have added guile and speed to their depleted receiving core after their struggles last season. Their offense looked jaded and lacked imagination. Receivers dropping catches didn’t help matters. While the drops of the likes of Valdes-Scantling and Toney got more highlighted, Chiefs rookie Rashee Rice led his team in that category.
NFL writer John Frascella recently took to X, listing the players with the most drops in the league last season. Some of the best receivers found themselves on the list.
Rashee Rice, the team’s second-best pass catcher in his rookie season, finds himself 6th on the list, dropping eight passes last season. Despite starting only 8 games, he got his fair share of targets, catching 79 passes on 107 targets. He caught 77.5 % of his passes, amassing 938 yards and adding 7 TDs.
Mahomes, who had his statistically worst season last year, still managed to get 4000 yards.
However, Rice wasn’t the only one with a substantial number of drops. Always dependable Travis Kelce also dropped 7 passes, followed by Justin Watson with 4. In total, the Chiefs’ receivers dropped 44 passes.
As per Frascella’s list, the Rams star, Puca Nacua led the league in drops, with 13. Playing with top-five QB in Stafford, he was targeted 160 times, racking up an impressive 1486 yards. Unlike Rashee he started every game in his rookie season.
Tyreek Hill, the best player in the league and receiving yards leader last season with 1799 yards, dropped 12 passes.
Most DROPS in the NFL last season:
1. Puka Nacua: 13
2. Tyreek Hill: 12
3. David Njoku: 11
4. Jaxon Smith-Njigba: 10
5. Jerome Ford: 9
6. Davante Adams: 8
6. Stefon Diggs: 8
6. Amon-Ra St. Brown: 8
6. Jahmyr Gibbs: 8
6. Rashee Rice: 8What surprises you? pic.twitter.com/qKUMXdA9OQ
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) August 16, 2024
Mahomes was pretty much on his own last season with his wideouts struggling. However, this season the Chiefs have finally managed to create a competent receiving room with depth, drafting a wideout in the first round for the first time in the Mahomes era.
Their receivers include Hollywood Brown, Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, Mecole Hardman, Skyy Moore, Justin Watson, John Ross, and Kadarius Toney. However, the likes of Toney have carried on their struggles from last season.
Kadarius Toney is struggling to keep up
Toney’s struggles from last season were well-documented, dropping passes and struggling to keep up with the pace. It seems the things haven’t changed much for him coming into the new season.
With new signings coming to the franchise, he has failed further in the pecking order and finds himself in a tough position. Andy Reid, who has defended him in the past, issued a warning to the former Giants wideout.
Reid asserted that if Toney wants to make the team in a competitive environment with the Chiefs boasting enough depth in the receiving department, he needs to develop some consistency and be on the top of his game.
Standing on the periphery, he might not make the roster, certainly as a wideout. Toney in the past has been used as a kick-returner and with new kickoff rules, he could make himself indispensable in this department. He was seen participating in RB drills.
If he forgoes the thought of playing as a receiver and concentrates on being a return specialist, there is hope that he might make the roster. Otherwise, it feels like the end of his time in Kansas City.