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The Kansas City Chiefs have a lot to evaluate in 2025 training camp, specifically in their loaded wide receivers room. While former second-round pick Skyy Moore is now the Chiefs' longest-tenured receiver, he has quickly gone from an intriguing young prospect to a trade candidate in just a few years.
Moore was once the bright young prospect of the group, but has quickly become an afterthought. Three years into his career, he has only managed 43 catches for 494 receiving yards with just one touchdown. Without any meaningful contributions in the run game or on special teams, he does not look anything like the player Brett Veach took a gamble on in 2022.
Since the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins, they have yet to find another consistent wideout to pair with Patrick Mahomes. Moore, whom the team drafted just months after trading Hill, was supposed to be that guy, but has topped 50 receiving yards just twice in 36 career games. Everything broke down in 2024 when Moore fell entirely out of the rotation, placing him firmly on the roster bubble in the ensuing offseason.
With wideout still a position of need, the Chiefs once again invested heavily in the position. Kansas City re-signed Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster before drafting Jalen Royals in the fourth round. They further signed top-end undrafted free agents Mac Dalena and Elijhah Badger and added former second-round talent Tyquan Thornton to the offseason roster.
However, the team's biggest addition comes in the form of Rashee Rice's return. The budding third-year wideout was on his way to a career year and establishing himself as Mahomes' top target in 2024 before tearing his ACL in Week 4. Rice joins Brown as the Chiefs' two starting receivers who missed most of the previous season with injuries.
Given the bevy of changes, Moore's career hangs in the balance in his fourth offseason with the team. While a release is certainly possible, Moore is the Chiefs' top trade candidate entering their 2025 training camp.
Skyy Moore is Chiefs' top trade candidate
The Chiefs seemed to be done with Moore fairly early in the experiment, but practically confirmed that sentiment in the 2025 offseason. Drafting another wideout for the sixth consecutive season makes Moore significantly closer to the practice squad than the starting lineup. Kansas City is likely already viewing him as a cut candidate, but with just one year remaining on his deal, Veach could look to take another look at his market value.
Veach has tried to trade Moore before, but he might have his best chance in 2025. Ahead of the final year of his rookie deal, Moore's expiring contract is more alluring than it was a year ago. Teams might be more willing to give him a shot as a low-risk target who would not cost more than a late-round pick.
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To his credit, Moore continues to seek improvement and has not given up on his promising career. The Western Michigan alum reportedly showed up to OTAs with an impressive physique, having dedicated his early offseason to a strict weightlifting regimen. Moore's dedication to improving his frame certainly addresses one of his biggest weaknesses.
Yet, if Moore is going to have a career revival, it will likely need to be with another organization. The Chiefs informally gave up on him in 2024 and appear to have no intention of giving him another shot. Despite the team's horrific injury luck at wide receiver, Moore played over 25 percent of the offensive snaps just once in six games before landing on injured reserve for the rest of the year. He received just three targets all season and failed to record a single stat.
Had he not gotten injured, the Chiefs might have cut Moore in 2024. Unless he manages to significantly outperform Smith-Schuster, Royals and Dalena in training camp, the dreaded Sky Moore era might be over in Kansas City.
Skyy Moore still has potential
He never worked out for the Chiefs, but Moore still has hope of turning his career around. As an undersized receiver, Moore does his best work in the slot, a position that Rice took over in 2024. Rice, who is simply a better pass-catcher and athlete, forced Moore to take more snaps on the outside than he is traditionally comfortable with. On a different roster, Moore could still have value on any team that allows him to play his proper role.
When Moore lined up in the slot, he averaged 2.11 yards of separation per target in 2023. That mark was the 11th-best in the league. However, when he lines up on the outside, his efficiency falls off a cliff. Moore is simply too small and lacks the top-end speed to compete with elite cornerbacks.
Moore is the third-best slot receiver on the Chiefs, working behind Rice and Smith-Schuster. He could fall further down the depth chart if Dalena, whom the team liked in minicamp, has a strong preseason. There is no room for Moore on Kansas City's roster anymore, leading to his dramatically low snap share.
Slot-needy teams like the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders or New Orleans Saints could use Moore as a veteran backup. Realistically, Moore can still be a valuable contributor for any team that does not have the slot depth that Kansas City has. Either way, Moore will likely not make the Chiefs' final 2025 roster after training camp.
