Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs are currently in the process of ramping up for training camp, which is set to begin this week ahead of the upcoming 2024 NFL season. The Chiefs are of course coming off of their second straight Super Bowl win, and Mahomes his second straight Super Bowl MVP trophy, and the team is now somehow undoubtedly better at this point when it was when they hosted the Lombardi Trophy five months ago.
One of the key reasons why the Chiefs are now improved is due to the presence of rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy, a speedy weapon who played his college football for the Texas Longhorns and who is already anticipating building a strong connection with his quarterback at training camp.
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“I definitely feel like there’s no time to ease in,” Worthy said, referencing Mahomes’ recent assertion that the team will need to get Worthy off to a strong start, via Myles Simmons of NBC Sports. “It’s all go. Once you’re here, you’re here. So I understand definitely what Pat’s saying and just to build that connection with him, it’s going to be key here.”
Worthy also spoke on the hamstring injury that has sidelined him for much of the offseason and how he is now feeling nearly back to his normal self.
“I’m as good as I can be right now,” Worthy said. “Obviously, still working my way back into things. But I’m here, I’m ready to work.”
He also broke down how hard it has been for him to not be able to do his normal offseason routines.
“It’s very important to me. Me in college, I never missed a game, never had any injuries, really,” Worthy said. “So, just having that happen, it’s kind of frustrating. But I had a chance to learn and get better in a different way — learning the playbook,” said Worthy. “I feel like that’s the big struggle for all rookies, is learning the playbook, learning the system. So I feel like [getting in tune] with that for me, was a big thing. And rehabbing, of course, just to get back and be able to be out here and run.”
They certainly should be the favorites to do so.
Last year, the Chiefs suffered through their worst regular season of the Mahomes era, largely looking out of sync, with Mahomes himself also having a pedestrian performance by his historical standards. And they still ended up winning the Super Bowl.
Of course, teams like the Cincinnati Bengals–the last team to beat the Chiefs in the play0ffs–figure to be back in the mix this year, and health is never a guarantee in the NFL. However, the fact that most championship teams see a slight decline in talent in the ensuing offseason, while the Chiefs have retained virtually every key piece while adding talent through the draft in free agency, should certainly be a scary prospect for the NFL.
In any case, the season is set to get underway in early September.