Why Xavier Worthy was back at practice 2 days after Chiefs feared a concussion
The Kansas City Chiefs had an unexpected participant return to practice Friday: second-year receiver Xavier Worthy.
KC announced Wednesday that Worthy had entered concussion protocol. So how did he get back out there so soon?
Chiefs coach Andy Reid explained Friday after practice that Worthy, in fact, never had a concussion.
“We had both the NFL involved with the clearing (of him to practice again) and our docs,” Reid said. “He had a little liquid in his ear, and they took care of that, and it was throwing his equilibrium off just a bit. So that’s a positive thing.”
It’s certainly a relief for a Chiefs team that had suddenly gotten thin at wideout in recent practices.
Hollywood Brown (ankle) and Skyy Moore (hamstring) sat out practice again Friday after getting hurt earlier in the week. Rashee Rice has been a full participant, but he also could face an NFL suspension to start the season after his legal case was just settled involving a 2024 road-race incident.
Worthy, who led KC’s receiver position with 59 catches and 638 yards as a rookie last season, initially was injured Tuesday when he banged his head on the turf while attempting to make a deep sideline catch. He briefly went to the medical tent afterward.
“He wanted to get back in. He kept saying, ‘I don’t feel like I have a concussion,’” Reid said. “But you’ve got to go through the protocol.”
Reid said further tests revealed Worthy’s ear issue. Once treated for that, Worthy better regained his balance.
“He was convinced he didn’t have (a concussion) all along,” Reid said. “But that’s all right. We were cautious with it, and we’re always going to do that.”
KC’s dwindling receiver numbers did result in a roster addition Friday. The team signed former SMU receiver Key’Shawn Smith, who tried out with the Chiefs earlier in the week.
Worthy being back also added to the number of wideouts available in drills — something that’s important so guys can get extended breaks between practice reps.
“You want numbers at that spot. You need legs. And we play a lot of those guys three at a time normally,” Reid said. “You need all the legs to get through practice.”
