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As usual, the Kansas City Chiefs 2022 season is Super Bowl or bust. Patrick Mahomes’ teams always have sky-high expectations, and this year is no exception. The team did have an odd Week 3 hiccup vs. the Indianapolis Colts, but outside of that, the Chiefs are looking like the Super Bowl contender most fans and pundits thought they’d be. In a season of good feelings so far, there haven’t been many disappointments for Andy Reid’s crew. However, the Chiefs’ Skyy Moore has been underwhelming thus far. The Skyy Moore 2022 campaign hasn’t started well for the rookie second-round wide receiver. He hasn’t done much in the passing game and has looked shaky at times returning kicks. Here is why Moore is the Chiefs' biggest disappointment through the first four weeks of the 2022 NFL season.
Chiefs’ biggest disappointments in 2022
This offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs joined the Tennessee Titans and Green Bay Packers as teams that traded a superstar wide receiver and tried to replace him in the 2022 NFL draft. For the Chiefs, the loss was trading six-time Pro Bowler Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins. And the replacement was Western Michigan WR Skyy Moore.
After the Hill trade, the Chiefs had a stockpile of early picks, with four in the first two rounds. In Round 1, the top six WR prospects were off the board by the time KC picked No. 21. So, the franchise went defense with its first two selections, taking Washington cornerback Trent McDuffie and Purdue defensive end George Karlaftis.
The Chiefs traded their first pick in the second round (No. 50) to the New England Patriots and fell back four spots to No. 54. With that pick, the team took Western Michigan wideout Skyy Moore.
Highest-graded WR in the 2022 NFL Draft
🚀 Skyy Moore – 91.6 pic.twitter.com/GoTMUm5LsU
— PFF Fantasy & Betting (@PFF_Fantasy) January 12, 2022
Moore is a 5-foot-10, 195-pound pass-catcher who ran a 4.41 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He doesn’t have the blistering speed that Hill does, but as a shorter receiver who can play on the outside and go up and get a pass, he is cut from a similar cloth.
In his final season as a Bronco, Moore caught 95 balls for 1,292 yards and scored ten touchdowns.
In addition to being a possible Tyreek Hill replacement, the Chiefs' Skyy Moore ideas included him being a kick and punt returner as well. Unfortunately for the Chiefs in 2022, neither of these plans has worked out well yet.
Skyy Moore’s 2022 box score shows that he’s played in all four games, without much meaningful production. He’s never played more than 22 offensive snaps in a single game and has a season-low of two in Week 2. Moore's receiving totals after four weeks are five targets, three catches, and 61 yards with no touchdowns.
Moore did have his best game in Week 4 with four targets, two catches, and 31 yards. However, he still hasn’t been able to unseat JuJu Smith-Schuster, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, or Mecole Hardman for meaningful playing time in the Patrick Mahomes-led offense.
The Chiefs have used Moore as a kick and punt returner in 2022, but the results haven’t been great. So far, he’s returned nine punts for 71 yards and one kickoff for 23 yards. Those are fine numbers, but there’s a problem. He also had two misplayed punts in the Week 3 loss to the Colts, which included a lost fumble in a big spot.
The #Chiefs are going to have to get Skyy Moore off punt returns. First the muff, now lets the ball sail over his head, only to be downed at the literal 1-inch line. Not great.
— Matt Lombardo 🏈 (@MattLombardoNFL) September 25, 2022
When the Chiefs drafted Moore, they were hoping for Hill 2.0. What they got is a rookie who looks like he could be a liability in big spots this season.
The good news for Moore and Chiefs fans alike is that it is still early in the WR’s rookie campaign. Skyy Moore’s 2022 season still has 13 games to go, so there is plenty of time to turn things around. And with the increased snaps and targets last week, that could happen sooner rather than later.
The other positive note comes from looking back on Hill’s rookie season.
In 2016, through four games, Hill had just 11 catches for 67 yards. He did have two touchdowns, though, and didn’t fumble until Week 10.
Hill’s rookie breakout performance came in Week 8 vs. the Colts when he made five grabs for 98 yards and a score. So, Moore has plenty of time to put up his own “Welcome to the NFL” game, and become the threat the Chiefs drafted him to be.
Assigning a rookie wide receiver as the biggest disappointment after four weeks on a team like the Chiefs isn’t that big of a deal. Plenty of rookies struggle early, and while Kansas City would love Moore to be great right away, the Chiefs' 2022 prospects don’t depend on him. Still, Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and Chiefs fans would all like to see Skyy Moore show a few more flashes as the season goes along.
