Receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce are unquestionably Patrick Mahomes‘ top two pass-catching options in Kansas City. But behind them, there’s a bit of a void heading into 2021.
Sammy Watkins served as the team’s No. 2 receiver for the last three years. But he also missed significant playing time due to injury, particularly in 2020. He caught only 37 passes for 421 yards with two touchdowns in 10 games. He also missed most of the postseason, but returned to catch a 13-yard pass in Super Bowl LV.
Watkins is gone now, having signed with the Ravens in free agency. Hill feels like the Chiefs have enough firepower to replace Watkins’ production.
“It’s definitely going to be tough,” Hill said Wednesday, via ArrowheadPride.com. “But I definitely feel like as the season goes on, guys will begin to fill that void that Sammy was filling. Having Pat, having Kelce, having a great offensive line definitely helps because you got other guys to mentor those guys. Mecole [Hardman] has played, D-Rob [Demarcus Robinson] has played in Super Bowls. [Byron] Pringle. I feel like we’re going to be all right. We’ve been playing football our whole entire lives, so it’s nothing new for us.”
Hardman and Robinson actually finished third and fourth on the team in receiving yards last year, with Watkins coming in at fifth. In his second season out of Georgia, Hardman caught 41 passes for 560 yards with four touchdowns. Robinson set career highs with 45 receptions and 466 yards, also catching three TDs. Pringle mainly played special teams, but even he had 13 catches for 160 yards with a touchdown.
The Chiefs may not have a former first-round pick as one of their top wideout options any longer, but defenses shouldn’t expect a drop in Kansas City’s offensive production anytime soon.
Tyreek Hill: I feel like we’re going to be all right after Sammy Watkins’ departure originally appeared on Pro Football Talk