The Kansas City Chiefs have begun preparations for their matchup against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.
The start of the new season will allow the Chiefs to showcase new talent added in the offseason. The many additions this offseason for the Chiefs include the revamped wide receivers room. The signing of veterans and drafting of rookies have remodeled the group that no longer features All-Pro Tyreek Hill. One of the new signings, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, shared his thoughts on the growing chemistry of the receiver’s room during Monday’s press conference.
“Yeah, I think that we’ve come along very well,” said Valdes-Scantling. “Each guy in that room does something unique and different. I think that’s what makes that room so special. And obviously, with 15 (Patrick Mahomes) back there and (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid calling the plays, we can pretty much do anything. But I think just with our room specifically, there’s just so many different weapons and varieties of what we can do and the type of players that we are. (It’s) not just one guy that can do one thing. They move us around and let us all kind of experience different positions and different routes and that’s the beauty of this offense. That’s why we’re going to be very explosive and successful.”
Valdes-Scantling, along with fellow veteran signing Juju Smith-Schuster, will be viewed as leaders while newcomers Justin Watson and rookie Skyy Moore are also in the fold. The most experienced receiver in the Chiefs’ offense is Mecole Hardman, but the group is finding ways to mesh both on and off the field.
“Yeah, when you spend every day with the guys, you tend to get really close,” said Valdes-Scantling. “We hang out outside of the facility as well. We’ll have people go over JuJu’s (Smith-Schuster) house or my house and kind of just hang out and chill. So, I think that it’s a good thing knowing that you can depend on these guys on and off the field. It makes a brotherhood that you can’t emulate anywhere else.”
The Chiefs have heard the speculation all offseason regarding whether or not the team can succeed without Hill. The challenge could be enough to fuel more production from this new crop of receivers.
