CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – AUGUST 13: Skyy Moore #24 of the Kansas City Chiefs looks on against the Chicago Bears during the second half of the preseason game at Soldier Field on August 13, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs are grappling with significant blows to their roster, but there are at least three Chiefs who can step up in the coming weeks.
While these timelines remain uncertain, what is known at the moment is that Mecole Hardman will be out for at least four weeks while JuJu Smith-Schuster remains in Concussion Protocol.
Now more than ever, the Chiefs will need their remaining players to step up and assume a bigger role in the offense. Patrick Mahomes is averaging 326 passing yards per game and is projected to end the season with 5,546 passing yards. While Kansas City rushed for 155 yards agains the Jacksonville Jaguars, the 7-2 Chiefs are designed to complement what Mahomes does best.
That means that rather than leaning more onto the run, the Chiefs will employ one of their many other capable pass-catchers to cover for Smith-Schuster and Hardman as they recover from injury. Mahomes has never been shy about spreading the ball around, which allows these three Chiefs to step up and make more of an impact on the offense.
3 Chiefs players who need to step up after Mecole Hardman injury
3. Skyy Moore
It’s understandable to imagine that the absence of Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster in Week 10 may have carved out an opportunity for rookie wide receiver Skyy Moore, but alas, this was not the case.
The absences of Hardman and Smith-Schuster “didn’t yield more playing time for Moore, whose 24 percent offensive snap share matched his mark from the Week 9 win over the Titans,” per RotoWire. Instead, the opportunities increased for the two other receivers on this list.
Unfortunately for Moore, it seems that more opportunities were taken away rather than given to him in Week 10, as he also lost out on being the Chiefs’ primary punt returner.
While the past few weeks have been rough production-wise for Moore, he could make the most of upcoming opportunities to get more snaps and play a bigger role in the offense. When Moore has been able to get big plays off, they’ve been big, and his YAC this season demonstrates why the Chiefs drafted him in the first place.
Moore is a rookie working through it, and it’s possible that more opportunities could lead to a strong run in December. That being said, slightly more experienced players who have a lot to prove could also see bigger roles in the Chiefs passing attack.