Why Chiefs’ Moore has been early camp standout — and the WR that’s impressed him most
Skyy Moore turned around to look for the football when he realized that wasn’t going to be enough.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ second-year receiver was going through 7-on-7 drills Monday at Missouri Western when he spun to see quarterback Patrick Mahomes targeting him. Not only that, there were going to be a pair of defenders nearby.
So Moore took no chances. He sprinted three additional steps back toward the football to leave no doubt, snatching the pass in traffic before turning upfield.
The sequence was the latest example of Moore trying to accomplish a previously stated aim this offseason: getting to a place where Mahomes can always trust him.
“It might not be the prettiest look,” Moore said of his altered route Monday, “but I’m gonna do my best to get it done for sure.”
The Chiefs are just two days into full-squad practices at training camp, and at this point, they still are only going through drills without wearing full pads.
So while it would be silly to jump to grand conclusions, one thing still has become clear: Coach Andy Reid is giving Moore every chance to be a top receiver for the team this season.
Moore, who had 22 catches for 250 yards during his rookie campaign last year, has been running almost exclusively with the first-team offense.
“I started to notice. It’s hard to miss that when 15’s back there,” Moore said with a smile, referring to Mahomes’ number. “But I started to notice that during OTAs (offseason practices), realizing, like, ‘Yeah, I’m with the real guys every single time.’ So it makes it that much more important to do my job.”
Moore said Monday he’s ready for an expanded role should it come his way. He added strength the past few months, then also has the benefit of an entire year with Reid’s playbook.
When asked how much better he felt this season compared to last, Moore said he was “like 30 times more comfortable.”
“The game didn’t change. I’m going at it one more time,” Moore said. “I feel like I’m in there, and I’m just a pro. I’m not in college anymore. I’m not new to the NFL. So I know how things are gonna turn out.”
One example of a difference from last season: Moore says the game has slowed to the point where, before a play, he’s not worried about the specific route he’s running. Instead, he’s focused on how he can get open, whether that’s playing off the defensive back or shifting slightly to open space.
Things appear to be coming together at this point. Moore had a deep catch on Mahomes’ first 7-on-7s throw Monday, and after practice, Moore was among the standouts listed by Travis Kelce; the tight end said Moore had “about three or four touchdowns and some great plays.”
Moore — perhaps unexpectedly — also is already being thrust into a leadership position. He laughed Monday when recalling a recent practice conversation with rookie receiver Rashee Rice, as Rice asked him a question he didn’t have an answer to.
“I told him, ‘I don’t know, bro. You’ve got to ask the older guys,’” Moore said. “And he was like, ‘You’re one of the older guys.’”
Rice technically wasn’t wrong. The Chiefs — outside of Cornell Powell — have no receivers on the roster who’ve been with the team for more than two seasons.
That means Moore, even while younger (22) than Rice (23), has more leeway to be considered a vet.
“It just put things in perspective for me, like I’ve got to jump into a different kind of role. Like I’m not the rookie anymore,” Moore said. “So I’ve got to be able to answer those certain questions, which makes me study even harder.”
Moore says he’s been impressed early by another newcomer. Earlier Monday, he said he told teammate Ihmir Smith-Marsette that Richie James was his favorite receiver right now.
James had one of the highlights of Sunday’s practice, making a catch before juking a pair of defenders on his way to a big gain.
“I like how he moves,” Moore said of James. “He does the stuff ... I think I’m doing what he’s doing, but he kind of does it a little different.”
As for Moore, he says it’s too early to share individual goals for this season. He wants to see how his role plays out in camp before discussing what he might want to accomplish.
So far, though, he appears to be earning the opportunity to increase his target share in 2023.
“I feel like I prepped myself over the last offseason,” Moore said. “And I feel like I’m ready for that task.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 2:38 PM with the headline "Why Chiefs’ Moore has been early camp standout — and the WR that’s impressed him most."
