The Chiefs’ wide receiver room is suddenly looking thin enough to make an old name worth revisiting.
Kansas City has been juggling injury issues at the position throughout training camp, and that kind of uncertainty naturally opens the door to outside help. One veteran who fits that conversation is Josh Reynolds, a player general manager Brett Veach reportedly pursued years ago before Reynolds chose another destination.
Reynolds is still searching for his next opportunity, with free-agent visits keeping him in the mix as he tries to extend his career. He’s 31 now and coming off a stretch defined by injuries, which makes the next landing spot especially important. His most recent stop was with the New Orleans Saints, who learned that first-round pick Jordyn Tyson will miss a couple of months at the start of his career because of a hamstring injury.
Kansas City’s own situation has been piling up. Rashee Rice is still working back from offseason knee surgery.
Xavier Worthy is healthy at the moment, but he dealt with multiple injuries last season and already had a shoulder issue earlier in camp. Rookie Cyrus Allen has been sidelined by a shin bruise, and Tyquan Thornton was carted off the practice field on Tuesday.
Even if the Chiefs were fully healthy, questions would still linger about how reliable and effective this group can be as currently built. That’s where a player like Reynolds enters the conversation, even if it’s fair to ask whether he would truly move the needle.
Kansas City reportedly went after Reynolds in 2021 but lost out to the Tennessee Titans, after Veach had already come up short on JuJu Smith-Schuster before Smith-Schuster returned to Pittsburgh. Smith-Schuster later made his way to Kansas City for multiple seasons, while Reynolds continued his route through the Titans, Lions, Broncos and Jaguars.
Reynolds has usually been more of a complementary piece than a centerpiece, though he has been asked to be the lead guy in some rooms. The Broncos thought enough of him in 2024 to give him a two-year deal in free agency, but they released him by December after he spent time on injured reserve with a hand injury and then dealt with minor injuries stemming from an early morning shooting that same year in Denver. Over the last two seasons, he has totaled just 24 catches for 295 yards and one touchdown.
That kind of production doesn’t exactly scream major turnaround. But with camp injuries stacking up and the season getting closer, it’s easy to see why Reynolds might still sit on Veach’s emergency list. If the Chiefs keep needing veteran help, he could be a name they call back in for a workout.
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