Arrowhead Pride
The NFL is not a league where you can rest on your laurels. The team that you were a year ago has no bearing on the team you are about to become. You have to start from scratch every season.
“I think each year, you have to re-establish [your] identity,” said the Kansas City Chiefs’ passing game coordinator Joe Bleymaier on Tuesday. “[You have to] kind of form who you’re going to be as an offense.”
And in 2025, the Chiefs want to be a team that can throw the ball downfield.
“Everything starts in the vertical game,” observed Bleymaier, “putting pressure on the defense down the field and across the field — all of those fundamentals of how to open up the field.”
Wide receivers coach Conner Embree agreed with his colleague.
“It’s like a track team out there,” he joked, “[a] 4-by-1 team. They all can run. That’s kind of what our offense is based off of: speed, speed, speed [and] speed.”
Of course, NFL receivers have to have more than that — but speed sure helps. That’s especially true if you happen to be Kansas City wideout Xavier Worthy, who is the league’s fastest player. But in his second year, he is digesting more concepts and becoming more comfortable with the offense.
“He is in that identity phase — and the formation of himself as a player,” observed Bleymaier. “One of the things that he does — I think that’s a credit to him — is he’s really emphasizing and focusing on the things that he does well, continuing to do those well rather than to just take it for granted [and] focus on the next thing in his game that he would like to build on.”
Worthy always wants to compete against the best, too. When you’re a wideout playing for the Chiefs, that means seeking out matchups against Trent McDuffie.
“He’s going to run the same routes over and over against Trent,” said Bleymaier, “so [he’s] really sharpening his fastball — his main pitch — and then from there, [he’s] able to say, ‘Right, here’s how I can complement that — and here are the other moves and the routes that can work off that.‘”
Another big part of the Chiefs’ offensive ecosystem is third-year wide receiver Rashee Rice, who is returning from a season-ending knee injury in 2024. He’s back to moving at full speed.
“He’s just a physical force out there,” said Embree. “I love him when he gets the ball in his hands. He turns into a true running back.”
Even better, Bleymaier sees similarities between this team and the offense the Chiefs fielded during quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ first couple of seasons in Kansas City — the one that included wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, plus tight end Travis Kelce.
“This year,” he noted, “I think we have a similar set of wide receivers who have been in the system — and although they all have different traits and are...
