The Kansas City Chief wide receiver with a bigger ‘yards per catch’ rate this year than Tyreek Hill

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When Tyreek Hill left for greener pastures and more money in Miami, many asked how Kansas City would fill that void.

It was a reasonable question to ask given the former KC speedster had over 1,000 yards receiving in four of his six seasons with the team, with Hill finishing the regular season first or second in that department during his entire Chiefs tenure.

Hill has gone on to bigger and better things, putting up career highs in receiving yards (1,710) and receptions (119), as he earned a big payday with the Phins this past offseason to the tune of $120 million over four years with $72.2 million in guarantees.

The Chiefs didn’t seem to miss him last year, though, leading the league in passing yards per game (297.8), but they didn’t have a wide receiver reach 1,000 yards, with JuJu Smith-Schuster coming closest at 933.

Schuster’s departure following their Super Bowl triumph has opened the door for someone new to be the top wide receiver and take some of the pressure off the shoulders of tight end Travis Kelce.

In five contests this season, the Chiefs are seventh in passing yards per game (258.0), which may be a little low given the standards this team have set with Mahomes and Kelce, but it is far from a disaster.

The big question is whether or not this Mahomes to Kelce connection is sustainable throughout the year without any secondary help in the pass-catching department.

Hidden Gem

The name Justin Watson does not scream danger, given his meager numbers since entering the league in 2018.

The 27-year-old, who was chosen in the fifth round by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over five years ago, has quietly risen up the ranks to become a threat in the receiving department for KC.

It is somewhat unexpected, seeing as he had 100 yards or fewer in two of his three campaigns in the Sunshine State, with his best campaign coming in 2019 (15 catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns).

Stepping up

Since coming to the Chiefs in 2022, he’s been huge when called upon, averaging a career-high 21 yards per catch last season, tying a career-best for catches in a campaign (15) and registering 315 yards through the air, another high for the native of Bridgeville, Pennsylvania.

The most Hill averaged in KC was 17 yards per catch in 2018 and he’s currently averaging 18.1 yards per reception this year in Miami.

Mahomes only targeted him 34 times in 17 regular season contests last year, so we only got a sample size of his play, but there’s a lot to like about what he showed us.

So far in 2023, he’s already caught 10 passes on 16 targets and is 100 yards shy of setting a new career high for receiving yards (219), and we are only five weeks into the season.

He’s averaging 21.9 yards per catch this year and has only lost one fumble in his NFL career, proving his dependability.

With his current numbers, Mahomes might be well served to call upon him more often this year.