Chiefs’ Skyy Moore has earned trust of Patrick Mahomes, still a ‘ton of room to climb’ entering second season

Last year, there were high hopes for Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Skyy Moore. Drafted toward the end of the second round, the Chiefs had a lot invested in Moore compared with the rest of the team’s remade wide receiver room, which also included JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, among others. 

Moore’s contributions in his first season were fairly muted, though. He caught 22 of 33 passes thrown his way for just 250 yards, and played only 29% of the team’s offensive snaps. Moore caught five passes for 17 yards during Kansas City’s Super Bowl run, including a four-yard touchdown on a beautifully-designed play in the victory over the Eagles. 

Coming into Year 2, the depth chart around Moore is actually a bit more crowded despite Smith-Schuster’s departure. Kansas City acquired Kadarius Toney last season, signed another former Giants wideout in Richie James, and also drafted Rashee Rice this year. 

Still, the second-year receiver apparently stood out during the offseason program. 

“Skyy was one of the higher-targeted receivers,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said during minicamp, per The Athletic. “He had close to the most catches. I think he’s taking a good jump. The quarterback trusts him. There’s still a ton of room to climb. He’s so willing, though.”

As for Moore himself, he insists that he made an effort to gain said quarterback’s trust. “Coming into Year 2, I definitely have the hang of everything, just knowing the playbook, what [Patrick Mahomes] likes, coach Reid likes,” Moore said earlier in June. “I knew what I needed to improve on. I found that out early in the season last year. I’ve been waiting for a long time because I knew what to correct. “I just want to show [Mahomes], ‘If you look this way, you won’t be mad.’ I’m going to be a reliable weapon for him.”

That effort appears to have been successful. 

“Skyy is a great player, and I think you could see it at the end of last year, how he was picking the (plays) up and making big plays,” Mahomes said. “That just transitioned right into this [offseason]. He’s someone that’s going to be called upon more, kind of in that same role that probably JuJu [Smith-Schuster] was in. He can also go over the top and make plays happen.”