As the 2023 NFL season quickly approaches and training camps get underway across the league, another year with Super Bowl aspirations awaits for the Kansas City Chiefs. This will be the status quo as long as Patrick Mahomes is on the Chiefs, which figures to be for the rest of his career. At just 27-years-old, Mahomes has already won the Chiefs two Super Bowls and definitely does not plan on stopping there. Chiefs kingdom is blessed to have Mahomes, and it will be the responsibility of the front office to continually build championship rosters around him as long as he is suiting up as the signal caller. This year's roster does not look as talented as years passed, although the Chiefs will definitely still be the team to beat in the AFC after winning the Super Bowl last season. This makes training camp very important in determining who will be the best guys to defend a title, and starting at the wide receiver position should be the number one priority. The biggest training camp battle to watch ahead of the 2023 NFL season for the Chiefs is between Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and rookie Rashee Rice.
Heading into training camp, Kadarius Toney was expected to be the top wideout for Mahomes and the Chiefs after bursting onto the scene for them at the end of last year. However, knee surgery has him sidelined and he is uncertain for the start of the season. Suddenly the wideout position is wide open for the taking, and all three of Moore, Valdes-Scantling and Rice will have an opportunity to prove they deserve some playing time. It will be a very interesting battle given the three very different stages of their careers all three are in; still, if one can prove to develop a good chemistry with Patrick Mahomes leading up to the regular season, there is no doubt they will see their number called quite a bit come Week 1. With Toney looking like he could be out to start the 2023 NFL season, the battle between Skyy Moore, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Rashee Rice is the most obvious one to look out for at Chiefs training camp.
*Roster via ESPN
Skyy Moore vs. Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs. Rashee Rice
Starting with Skyy Moore, the second-year wide receiver had a very productive rookie season last year. He made a name for himself in the return game, and with the creativity that is Andy Reid and the Chiefs offense, Kansas City slowly but surely mixed him into the offense over the course of the season. Come the postseason he was paying dividends for Kansas City, culminating in a Super Bowl touchdown on his way to a ring as a rookie. Going into his second year, Moore is looking to make the leap from gadget guy to regular contributor. With Toney out, Moore could establish during training camp that he should be a regular in the Chiefs offense, but he will have to prove worthy over Valdez-Scantling and Rice.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is a very intriguing name in this battle because of the trajectory of his career so far. His numbers weren't eye-popping in his first year with the Chiefs last season, but he did have the most receptions of his career after spending the previous four seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Valdes-Scantling had some serious drop issues during his tenure with the Packers but looked like he solved them last season; like Moore, he can now cement those drop issues are in the past and potentially become the number one wide receiver for Mahomes during training camp. He will have plenty of competition, but being the veteran of this trio, he certainly has the experience on his side to help him secure a major role.
The last of these three is rookie Rashee Rice. Rice was drafted with the 55th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and is immediately endearing himself to Patrick Mahomes in training camp. Despite going in the second-round, Rice has an opportunity to claim a serious role with Toney out and nobody above him on the depth chart that has already earned guaranteed chances. This is honestly the perfect situation for Rice, as he joins a wide receiver room without a clearcut No. 1 wide receiver and he will be catching passes from the best quarterback in football. Rice could become a primary option for the Chiefs in his rookie season, which is most likely the preferred option for the Kansas City brass; Rice could come in as a second-round selection and become a weekly weapon for what is supposed to be one of the best offenses in football. Overall, Rashee Rice should be looking forward to the battle with Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling throughout Chiefs training camp before the 2023 NFL season gets underway.
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