Marquise Brown

The Kansas City Chiefs added more speed at this year's NFL draft, landing Texas wideout Xavier Worthy with the 28th overall pick in the first round.

The selection conjured memories of the former pairing between Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill in Kansas City, with the latter terrorizing secondaries both over the top as a deep threat and as a RAC monster, given his blazing speed and agility.

Worthy turned heads at the NFL Scouting Combine by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds, but Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported during Sunday's SportsCenter that the Chiefs believe he's more than just a good time on the stopwatch:

As one person with the team told me, Xavier Worthy has speed that you can 'feel' but they love the football player as well, so they're excited to have him in their packages on offense, getting him on the field. Now, Worthy, I'm told, part of his focus is to get his weight up a little bit. He's been in the 160s. He told reporters in Kansas City trying to get closer to 175. So, officially bulk-up season over the next few months. The Chiefs don't just love what he does on a track, they love what he can do on the field and his toughness specifically. So, this is a player that should see the field right away.

The wide receiver position was a major weakness for the Chiefs last season (though it didn't prevent them from winning a Super Bowl). So this offseason, the team loaded up at the position, adding a pair of speedy options in Worthy and Marquise Brown.

Rashee Rice's future is unknown given his legal issues, but it's possible the team could have a very nice trio at wideout heading into the 2024 campaign alongside future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce at tight end. Mahomes has to be happy with the priority placed on getting him more playmakers this offseason.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes posted workout photos Wednesday alongside teammates Rashee Rice and the recently acquired Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.

Brown has played five NFL seasons—three with the Baltimore Ravens and two with the Arizona Cardinals. His best season occurred in 2021 when the ex-Oklahoma star snagged 91 passes for 1,008 yards and six touchdowns.

Last season wasn't as productive for Brown, although he dealt with a heel injury (missing three games) and didn't have starting quarterback Kyler Murray for half the season as the signal-caller worked his way back from a torn ACL.

This offseason the Chiefs got a potential steal by signing the then-free agent to a one-year deal worth up to $11 million.

In Kansas City, Brown should slot in as WR2 behind Rice and could be in line for an explosive year. He's clearly off to a good start by establishing a quick rapport and chemistry with Mahomes as he opens a new chapter in his career.

Travis Kelce approves of the Kansas City Chiefs adding Marquise Brown to their wide receiver room for the 2024 season.

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast (starts at 26:06 mark), Kelce said he's "f--king pumped" to have Brown in the locker room and on the field for the Chiefs.

"Hollywood is gonna get $11 mil because he's worth every penny," Kelce added.

There's a lot of attention being paid to what Kansas City is going to do with its receiver room this offseason. The unit endured its share of struggles throughout the 2023 season, but Patrick Mahomes was able to make things work in the playoffs to lead the team to a second straight Super Bowl victory.

Marquez Valdes-Scantling was released in February in a move that saved the Chiefs $12 million against the cap. Brown agreed to a one-year deal with the reigning Super Bowl champs that's worth up to $11 million on March 14.

A first-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, Brown spent the past two seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. His best season came in 2021 when he had 91 catches and 1,008 receiving yards for the Ravens.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Brown explained what drew him to Kansas City in free agency.

"There's weapons here," he said, "and I feel like I can come in and complement the guys they have here. And Coach (Andy) Reid? He's a mastermind. Patrick Mahomes—I'm excited to work with everyone."

Even if Brown ends up being the No. 3 option behind Kelce and Rashee Rice, he's a steady performer who should be much more reliable for Mahomes than the combination of Valdez-Scantling and Kadarius Toney were in 2023.

Kansas City Chiefs superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed excitement Saturday over the free-agent signing of wide receiver Marquise "Hollywood" Brown.

During an appearance on ESPN's SportsCenter on Saturday morning, Mahomes discussed what Brown brings to the table and mentioned the Chiefs' quest to win a third consecutive Super Bowl:

"He just brings a ton of dynamic playmaking ability and I think just being able to add a guy like that who's ready to come in and work and be hungry. I've already talked to him. Going to be a lot of throwing sessions in our future and we're trying to keep this thing rolling. We're going to win the soccer championship here with the women's soccer team [the NWSL's Kansas City Current] and then we're going to try to go back to that Super Bowl again."

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Brown signed a one-year deal worth up to $11 million with the Chiefs this week, ending his two-year tenure with the Arizona Cardinals.

For most of Mahomes' six years as a starting quarterback, the Chiefs have had one of the most explosive and dynamic offense in the NFL, but that wasn't the case for much of 2023.

Kansas City ranked a pedestrian 15th in scoring offense with 21.8 points per game, and it largely leaned on an elite defense that ranked second in the league with just 17.3 points allowed per contest.

A lack of reliable weapons around Mahomes was perhaps the biggest reason why the Chiefs' offense was out of rhythm for lengthy stretches.

Future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce was the Chiefs' leading receiver with 93 receptions for 984 yards, plus five touchdowns, but it was a bit of a down year for him, as he eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of the previous seven seasons.

Rookie second-round pick Rashee Rice also came on as the year went on, recording 79 grabs for 938 yards and seven scores as Mahomes' top target among wideouts.

No other non-running back on the team had more than 28 catches, 460 yards or three touchdowns.

The offense rose to the occasion during the playoffs and did enough to clip the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl, but improvements were still clearly needed on that side of the ball.

Brown perhaps instantly becomes the fastest and most electric skill-position player on the roster, and he has had some previous success in the NFL as well.

The 2019 first-round pick out of Oklahoma spent his first three seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, scoring a total of 22 touchdowns, and registering 91 catches for 1,008 yards in 2021.

Brown was traded to Arizona prior to the 2022 season, but he did not experience the same success that he did in Baltimore.

He recorded 67 receptions for 709 yards and three touchdowns in 2022, followed by 51 catches for 574 yards and four scores last season.

Part of the reason for his shortcomings may have been the fact that quarterback Kyler Murray missed significant time due to injury in both seasons.

In Mahomes, Brown will have one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history throwing him the ball, and he should represent a huge upgrade over Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who received a ton of playing time as an outside receiver in Kansas City last season.

The Saquon Barkley-Tiki Barber beef has provided a blueprint for other NFL players to mock when one of their teammates signs with another club.

Case in point is Kyler Murray's response to Marquise Brown agreeing to a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Arizona Cardinals quarterback used Barber's now-infamous, "Good luck, you're dead to me" line, along with a clip from the movie 300 to address the move.

Unlike the Barkley-Barber banter, Hollywood Brown responded to the clip as you would expect.

This is a complete 180 from how Barber and Barkley went about their business after Barkley agreed to a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday.

Barkley's decision to leave the New York Giants for arguably their biggest rival prompted Barber to say this on his WFAN Sports Radio show: "You're dead to us, Saquon. Good luck, you're dead to me."

Barkley had no problem calling out Barber for that comment:

In the aftermath of Barber's comment, "good luck, you're dead to me" has become a go-to line for players as they watch teammates make decisions in free agency. Lamar Jackson used it after Patrick Queen agreed to a deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Murray and Brown have a friendship that dates back to their two seasons together at the University of Oklahoma from 2017 to '18. Brown was the Sooners' leading receiver with 1,318 yards during Murray's Heisman Trophy-winning season in 2018.

The Cardinals reunited the duo in April 2022 when they acquired Brown in a trade from the Baltimore Ravens.