The last thing anyone around the NFL wants to hear is the prospect of Patrick Mahomes' offensive weapons at the Kansas City Chiefs improving, but head coach Andy Reid has talked up the chances of a receiver taking a second-year leap.
Although the season finished with a Super Bowl ring in his possession, 2022 second-round pick Skyy Moore had an underwhelming rookie year that was plagued by ball-handling issues.
But the 22-year-old produced huge plays down the stretch to show flashes of his ability, with a 29-yard punt return in a crunch moment of the AFC Championship game helping the Chiefs edge past the Cincinnati Bengals before he scored a fourth-quarter touchdown – his first in the NFL – as Kansas City outgunned the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 to lift the Lombardi Trophy in February.
It was a bright end to a challenging rookie season for the Western Michigan alum, who lost three fumbles, but his head coach has seen encouraging signs in Organised Team Activities and minicamp this summer to suggest that a big year awaits Moore.
"Skyy was one of the higher-targeted receivers (in minicamp)," Reid told The Athletic. "He had close to the most catches. I think he's taking a good jump. The quarterback trusts him. There's still a ton of room to climb. He's so willing, though."
With JuJu Smith-Schuster – Mahomes' second-favourite target behind tight end Travis Kelce in 2022 with 933 yards – leaving to sign for the New England Patriots in the off-season, there is a vacancy in the slot receiver role for the Chiefs and Mahomes has identified Moore as the wideout that can be deployed against defenses over the middle in 2023.
"Skyy is a great player, and I think you could see it at the end of last year, how he was picking the (plays) up and making big plays," two-time Super Bowl MVP Mahomes said at a press conference in minicamp. "That just transitioned right into this (offseason).
"He's someone that's going to be called upon more, kind of in that same (slot) role that probably JuJu was in. He can also go over the top and make plays happen."
Moore is not lacking in confidence that he can be a big asset to his quarterback by the time Week 1 arrives in September.
"Coming into year two, I definitely have the hang of everything, just knowing the playbook, what Pat likes, coach Reid likes," Moore said. "I knew what I needed to improve on. I found that out early in the season last year.
"I've been waiting for a long time because I knew what to correct. I just want to show Pat 'If you look this way, you won't be mad.' I'm going to be a reliable weapon for him."
