With Tyreek Hill now a member of the Miami Dolphins, the Kansas City Chiefs will need someone to step up in the passing game. Kansas City added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in free agency, and also selected slot weapon Skyy Moore in the draft. While all will be called upon to step up this season, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has begun to create a strong connection with Valdes-Scantling, per The Athletic.
The former Green Bay Packers wideout said that “there’s not much difference” between Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers, except that one is younger. The fifth-round pick in 2018 has never surpassed 690 receiving yards in a single season, but this year is a great opportunity for him to prove to the rest of the league that he’s a legitimate starter. “MVS” has already started to get comfortable catching some of those famous no-look passes from Mahomes.
“I’m embracing the opportunity,” Valdes-Scantling said, adding “he’s the best in the business at doing that, in finding the open guy and giving them chances.”
Valdes-Scantling is big and can run. He’s listed at 6-foot-4 and is a legitimate deep-ball threat that head coach Andy Reid is going to take advantage of. However, The Athletic reports that some of the best reps MVS recorded were in running intermediate timing routes — something the coaching staff surely loves to see.
“He’s a big kid, but he’s got really good flexibility,” Reid said. “He can change directions and he’s got that speed, which we all knew he had. He’s able to work some of the primary underneath routes that he maybe didn’t do quite as much in Green Bay because of who they had there. I’ve been pleased with how he goes about his business. He’s doing a nice job.”
Valdes-Scantling led the NFL in yards per reception in 2020 with 20.9, but if he can prove he’s a well-rounded wideout who can make an impact in multiple ways, it would be a huge plus for Kansas City.
