The Chiefs have spent the early part of this season looking every bit like a contender, but their wide receiver room has been held together by tape and opportunity. Kansas City is 5-0, the run game has been the NFL’s best, Patrick Mahomes has stayed steady, and the defense is giving up just 16.6 points per game.
Even so, the receiver group has been a mess. Injuries and inconsistency have opened the door for someone else to grab hold of a job, and Andrew Armstrong has taken that chance.
Armstrong’s path to this moment has already been unusual. At Arkansas, he put together a strong college résumé and led the SEC in receiving yards in 2024.
Over two seasons with the Razorbacks, he came up just short of 2,000 total yards and established himself as one of the nation’s most productive pass-catchers. He entered the draft with a fourth-round grade, but he still went undrafted before the Miami Dolphins signed him as a UDFA.
That production made him a name to watch, and he was my favorite sleeper in this draft. He entered the 2026 season looking like a strong bet to make the Week 1 roster, but Kansas City chose to keep return specialist Nikko Remigio instead. Armstrong cleared waivers and ended up on the Chiefs’ practice squad, a move that now looks like a smart one for Kansas City given the injuries that have piled up at receiver.
After the bye week, the Chiefs finally brought him up, and he wasted little time making himself useful. Armstrong contributed on special teams and opened the game with a kickoff tackle. On offense, he logged 42 snaps, which was nearly 70% of Kansas City’s offensive workload, and he gave the coaching staff plenty to think about moving forward.
The box score won’t do much to sell the performance, but the film tells a different story. Armstrong was on the field for 15 called runs without being asked to block explicitly on all of them, but when he was in position to do it, his edge showed up.
He is the best blocking wide receiver in the facility, and Sunday made that hard to miss. That mattered in a big way for Kenneth Walker, who rushed for more than 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Armstrong also created problems in the passing game. He found space more often than the numbers would suggest, and his frame gave the Chargers something extra to deal with.
Kansas City’s offense leaned on tight formations again, keeping receivers close to the ball, and that’s where Armstrong looks most at home. His size and strength can stress defenses on the outside, while Xavier Worthy’s speed forces attention over the top.
Put those two together, and it becomes a difficult cover.
The Chargers tried to account for that by mixing in zone disguises, aiming to keep Worthy from getting loose deep and Armstrong from working the middle. Even with that attention, Armstrong’s physical style fit cleanly into what Kansas City wanted to do. He adds another layer to a run game that is already leading the league, and he brings a toughness to the formation that the Chiefs have been missing.
I’ve been pushing for Armstrong to get a role in this offense since training camp. He earned that by being productive in college and showing real value in the preseason. Now he has had a real chance to show what he can do, even if the sample size is still small.
And that is the part that matters most now: Armstrong should keep playing. Whether Rashee Rice is back next week or not, he has shown enough to justify a role.
He does not need to jump over Rice, Worthy, or Royals to matter. He just needs snaps, especially with Tyquan Thornton out for the foreseeable future.
In heavier packages, he can bring something different to the offense, and Kansas City has not had a player with this kind of style in a long time.
In Other News...
Chiefs Offense May Have Found Something Big In Chargers Win
A week after the offense looked like it needed a reset, the Chiefs came out of the win over the Chargers with a much different feel. The 22-6 result was built on a more balanced attack, with Kansas City adjusting to protect Patrick Mahomes and spread the ball around while injuries continue to shape the passing game. Kenneth Walker III gave the ground game real juice with 128 yards and two touchdowns, and Xavier Worthy kept his role growing with seven catches for 73 yards.
What stood out just as much was how the Chiefs were willing to lean on receivers who have not usually been central to the offense. Mahomes involved several less-utilized targets, giving the unit a broader footprint and a little more flexibility than it has shown at times this season. Noah Gray also chipped in with a notable receiving line, and for a team trying to find its best version while pieces are missing, those kinds of contributions can matter as much as the final score. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Are Starting To Lean On Xavier Worthy In A Bigger Way
Xavier Worthys breakout against the Chargers gave the Chiefs another glimpse of how much more dynamic their offense can look when the ball starts finding him early and often. He finished with seven catches for 73 yards, and with injuries thinning out the receiving options around him, Kansas City has every reason to keep leaning into the speed and space he brings.
Andy Reid has already singled out Worthys toughness and versatility, and the young receiver now has a chance to turn one strong afternoon into something bigger. For a player still chasing his first 100-yard game, the next step is obvious enough: keep building on the momentum and prove the Chiefs can keep expanding his role without missing a beat. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Are Backing Harrison Butker Despite One Growing Concern
Harrison Butkers latest outing gave the Chiefs a little of everything: several made field goals, plus a missed extra point and a long attempt that didnt go through. Even so, Andy Reid and special teams coordinator Dave Toub both sounded comfortable with where the veteran kicker stands, pointing to the work he has continued to do behind the scenes and the trust Kansas City has built in him over time.
The bigger concern is less about whether Butker can still handle pressure and more about the long-range consistency that has slipped a bit this season. He remains the kind of kicker the Chiefs are happy to lean on in tight moments, but the recent dip from distance is the part worth watching as the season moves forward. [Read more 🡒]