Xavier Worthy's two-touchdown performance in his first NFL regular-season game drew praise from just about everyone. But despite his big game, the Chiefs rookie wideout apparently needs to do more before he earns the respect of Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt.
Taylor-Britt recently gave a less than flattering assessment when he was asked about Worthy and what he brings to the Chiefs offense. The Bengals will face the Chiefs this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium.
"Speed. That's about it," Taylor-Britt said, via The Kansas City Star. "He can run straight. Run jet sweeps and just run straight. He can't do too much else, so that's about it. I feel like if you put your hands on him, he's only a 100-some pounds, so if you put hands on him, you're gonna stop his speed, so basically get your hands on him."
This isn't the first time that Worthy's lack of size and versatility have been highlighted. While he is very fast (he ran the 40 in a blazing 4.21 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine), Worthy's size (5-foot-11, 165 pounds) has left some to question his durability at the NFL level. And like many speedsters, some wonder whether or not Worthy is a complete receiver or merely a big-play threat.
While Taylor-Britt's comments aren't new, it's surprising that he would utter them following Worthy's big debut against the Ravens that saw him score on a deep pass from Patrick Mahomes and on a designed running play.
"He goes out there and makes plays," Mahomes said of Worthy, following last Thursday's 27-20 win. "Obviously, we're going to continue to use him more and more. But I thought he had a great day today, making big plays in big moments."
As impressive as Worthy's debut was, it's clear that he still hasn't entirely shed some of his pre-draft labels. With that in mind, rest assured that Chiefs coach Andy Reid -- who surely already has some specialty plays for Worthy drawn up and ready to go -- has something special planned when it comes to giving Worthy a chance to prove Taylor-Britt wrong on Sunday.