Xavier Worthy injury update: Chiefs WR will not undergo surgery or be placed on IR with shoulder issue

Worthy was injured on Kansas City's opening drive in Week 1

The Kansas City Chiefs are hoping wide receiver Xavier Worthy can return to the lineup sooner rather than later after he suffered a dislocated shoulder in their Week 1 loss vs. the Los Angeles Chargers. On Wednesday, coach Andy Reid told reporters that they are not considering surgery right now, or placing Worthy on short-term injured reserve.

"He's just rehabbing here," Reid said. 

NFL Media reported that Worthy suffered a dislocated shoulder when he collided with teammate Travis Kelce in the first quarter on Friday night. Ian Rapoport also reported that Worthy was undergoing more tests to determine the severity of the injury. 

The No. 28 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft caught 59 passes for 638 yards and six touchdowns in his first NFL season. Worthy also set Super Bowl records for the most receiving yards (157) and receiving touchdowns (2) recorded by a rookie.

On the most recent episode of the "New Heights" podcast, Kelce took responsibility for not getting the right depth on his route when he inadvertently injured Worthy, and said he "felt like shit" afterwards. 

"I owe my guy big time, man. X knows it. I felt like shit," Kelce said. "I could barely even f---ing play the rest of that first half, but we geared it up once I found out he was in better spirits than I imagined at halftime." 

Hollywood Brown was Patrick Mahomes' leading receiver vs. the Chargers, as he caught 10 passes for 99 yards. With Worthy out for the foreseeable future and Rashee Rice suspended for the next five games, more pressure will be placed on Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee to pick up the slack in the passing game. 

Kansas City hosts Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles this week in a Super Bowl LIX rematch. The Chiefs have won 12 straight home games, including playoffs, dating back to Christmas Day 2023.