Kansas City Chiefs Wide Receiver Downgraded, Misses Practice

The Kansas City Chiefs could be without one of their biggest offseason additions for their Sunday Night Football showdown with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4. Wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling missed practice Thursday with an abdomen injury.

Add Marquez Valdes-Scantling (abdomen) to the list of those not practicing. DT Chris Jones, whose Wednesday absence was not injury-related, was back to work Thursday. https://t.co/QfUFfxHFym
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) September 29, 2022

Valdes-Scantling was limited in Wednesday's practice but was downgraded to 'Did Not Participate' for today's session. Should he be unavailable, the Chiefs will lean harder on Juju Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman at wide receiver, despite both enduring ailments of their own.

Valdes-Scantling was the cornerstone of a concerted offseason effort by the Chiefs to field a deeper receiving corps following the seismic departure of Tyreek Hill. The strategy included signing Valdes-Scantling to a three year, $30 million deal to serve as a deep threat, acquiring Smith-Schuster in free agency, and nabbing Skyy Moore 54th overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

Of the three wide receiver additions, Valdes-Scantling was the biggest swing and has been the most disappointing, pulling in 10 of his 18 targets for 105 yards and a middling 5.8 yards per target. If the Chiefs have any chance of replicating the explosive offenses that Hill keyed in the previous four seasons, they'll need Valdes-Scantling to provide the occasional big play to stretch the defense.