How Keeping Skyy Moore Could Create Issues for Chiefs

The Chiefs might be nearing a head-against-heart conflict with regard to wide receiver Skyy Moore. Andy Reid has shown patience and grace, but Friday’s preseason finale could be Moore’s final game in a Chiefs uniform.

“Yeah, listen, drops, not like him,” Reid said after Friday’s 33-16 preseason loss at Seattle, where Moore dropped two passes and muffed a kick return. “He's a lot better than that. He had three kind of bobbles and drops, special teams and with throws. Came back with a big play, so I'm proud of him for that. It wasn't his best night up to that point.”

Up to that point, Moore may have fallen below the threshold of making Kansas City’s final 53-man roster. But he showed serious grit and resilience by returning a punt 88 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. Moore, who turns 25 next month, said Friday that every player goes through mental obstacles like he’s fighting through.

“I feel like 90 percent of the game is mental,” said Moore after Friday’s game. “I feel like it’s about how you do it. Whether you win or lose, you just have to keep getting up and keep going. I feel like that’s the biggest thing people should take out of what went on today.”

Big decision looming

No question, that 88-yard touchdown made the Moore decision difficult for the Chiefs. Now, they not only have to determine whether Moore is better than a wide receiver like Jason Brownlee, for instance; they also have to weigh whether Moore is someone who can replace the reliable and explosive Nikko Remigio in the return game.

Plus, they have the cloud hanging over their heads of Rashee Rice’s imminent suspension. The timing of that suspension also affects their numbers at wide receiver, where Reid has said he’d like to keep only six or seven on the final roster.

Moore knows he can only control what he does Friday against the Bears (7:20 p.m. CT, KSHB 41, 96.5 The Fan). He’s hoping to respond just like he did with that touchdown in Seattle.

“It felt great, just showing that sense of resiliency,” Moore said. “Obviously, I had two drops this game, and it felt like I was in my head after the first one. To go back there and catch a punt return knowing my history of punt returns and take it back to the house, it meant a lot to me this game, and a lot for my confidence. Just showing myself that you can’t lose if you keep going.”

Limited production in three years

A 5-10, 195-pound veteran from Western Michigan, Moore joined the Chiefs as the first of two second-round selections (54th overall) in their highly praised 2022 draft. One of the most-liked players on the roster, he endeared himself to Reid and the Chiefs as a rookie with a critical 4-yard touchdown reception in Super Bowl 57, extending an important fourth-quarter lead in their 38-35 victory over Philadelphia.

But unlike the other pillars of that 2022 draft class, Moore’s production has been miniscule over his first three NFL seasons. Plus, injuries have prematurely ended each of the last two years. A core muscle issue landed him on injured reserve last season and an ailing left knee cut short his 2023 campaign.

Now, aside from the simple question whether Moore is better than other wide receivers such as Brownlee, Remigio, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton, the Chiefs need to determine whether Moore is worth keeping in the context of their full 53-man roster. They have until 3 p.m. CT on Aug. 26 to make that call.