A receiver Kansas City knew just signed elsewhere, and the room keeps thinning

The Steelers signed a former Chiefs wide receiver Monday, per the transaction wire, which is a small item on its own but lands differently given what's happening in Kansas City right now. Worthy is still Questionable. Mahomes almost certainly isn't playing in the preseason. Every familiar name that leaves the building is one fewer option for a quarterback who needs reps and connections more than most heading into Week 1.

This is the sixth time I've noted something going wrong in this receiver room since camp opened. The departing player isn't a star — the Steelers are shuffling depth ahead of their own preseason opener — but the Chiefs don't have depth to spare. Tyquan Thornton is currently the top wideout on the active depth chart. That's where things stand.

The broader problem hasn't changed: Mahomes is coming off torn ACL and LCL repairs, he won't get live preseason reps to build timing, and his most productive wideout from last season is unavailable. Worthy caught 42 passes for 532 yards in 2025 and was the closest thing Kansas City had to a genuine speed threat. His absence in camp means the reps that would normally build that connection are going elsewhere — or nowhere. A team that went 6-11 last year while losing close games at a historic rate cannot afford to start 2026 still assembling its passing game in September.