Tag: connor embree

Chiefs Connor Embree describes his message to wide receivers to avoid dropped passes

Kansas City #Chiefs Connor Embree describes his message to wide receivers to avoid dropped passes | @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last season with complications on offense, especially with a disappointing performance from their wideouts.

Chiefs wide receivers coach Connor Embree addressed the media on Wednesday, discussing the league-leading dropped passes from last season and his plan to correct them.

“I just kind of mind tap them every day, just to focus. I tell them, if you guys just focus, look the ball all the way in. You’re in the NFL for a reason.” said Embree. “So I thought most of the drops from last year were focus drops where, you know, they had their hands on the ball. It was maybe they’re turning their head away to, you know, make a play with the ball in their hands. So really, just focusing on that, catch it, look it all the way into the tuck, and then become a ball carrier.”

The Chiefs added to their receivers’ room in the offseason to avoid the pitfalls they faced in 2023. The injury to ‘Hollywood’ Brown and ongoing uncertainty regarding Rashee Rice’s status will cause younger stars to prove themselves immediately in the system.

Here’s why Chiefs expect Skyy Moore to have a strong 2023 NFL season

The #Chiefs believe that Skyy Moore is ready to take the next step in 2023.

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Kansas City Chiefs WR Skyy Moore finished his rookie season about the best way you could ask for. He scored a touchdown in Super Bowl LVII, helping the team to their latest Lombardi Trophy in the process.

Moore’s rookie campaign wasn’t all sunshine and roses, though. He appeared in less than 30% of the offensive snaps and saw just 22 receptions on 33 targets for 250 yards receiving. It’s hardly what you’d call a productive season for a rookie wide receiver.

Speaking to media members following last week’s OTAs, Chiefs WRs coach Connor Embree gave an update on Moore and explained why he thinks he’ll be taking the next step in 2023.

“Skyy (Moore)? Yeah, Skyy’s been great,” Embree said. “Skyy, you know we put a lot on him last year. Usually, when we get a receiver, we try to keep them at one position. And, you know that’s easier to learn that way, but we threw a lot at him last year. He played every position, all three of them – x, zebra and z. But he’s been great. He came back in great shape. He looks stronger (and) he’s a little bigger and then he’s just got that year under his belt. So, he’s not that little puppy dog anymore. He kind of understands what’s going on (and) understands the tempo we practice at and just how to be a pro so he’s been great.”

The fact that Moore got a super-sized helping of all the wide receiver positions in the offense likely put him behind the eight ball a bit as a rookie. He didn’t have the luxury of being able to hone in on just a single position. This season, he’ll have a greater grasp of each of those roles and he’ll be able to hone in on a single role more as the receiver room develops.

There will be an increased number of opportunities for Moore in 2023 with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman no longer on the team. There’s also something to be said about the work he’s done in the offseason with Patrick Mahomes. Not only is he in better shape than he was a year ago, but he also has a budding connection with his quarterback, which should pay dividends when the season arrives in September.

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Connor Embree details progress from Chiefs WR Justyn Ross at OTAs

Justyn Ross may be the subject of plenty of offseason hype, but #Chiefs WRs coach Connor Embree suggests he still has plenty to prove.

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Kansas City Chiefs WR Justyn Ross has been a subject of fascination in the Chiefs Kingdom since he signed with the team as an undrafted free agent a season ago.

The former Clemson star has seen his college and professional career marred by injury, missing the entire 2022 NFL season on injured reserve after he had surgery to further correct a foot injury that limited him as a senior with the Tigers. The former four-star recruit out of Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama burst onto the college football scene in 2018 with a dominant rookie campaign, but he missed the entire 2020 season after undergoing a congenital fusion on his spine.

Now healthy at Chiefs’ OTAs, the coaching staff is getting its first true glimpse of what Ross could do within the offense. There have been a few highlight reel moments, but at this point of the offseason with padless practices and no contact, they don’t mean all that much.

Speaking to media members for the first time this offseason, new Chiefs WRs coach Connor Embree gave a progress report on Ross. He’s keen on getting the opportunity to see what the second-year wideout can do on the football field later this summer.

“Again, Justyn (Ross) is another one,” Embree began. “He worked hard last year. He was in every meeting and all the stuff that everyone else was at. So, kind of got a year under his belt also, just without the playing aspect of it. He’s been great. And yeah, I’m excited for him — to see him out on the field and see what he can do. He’s another kind of different body. We don’t have someone like him. So he’s good.”

Providing a different body type and skill set certainly bodes well for his chances of making the final roster, but it’ll take more than that to make the team.

Even with the team’s own star quarterback pumping up the second-year receiver on a regular basis, Embree says there is no preferential treatment here. Ross still has a lot to go out to prove to the coaches in order to make the 53-man roster in 2023.

“I think it’s just like everyone else in the room,” Embree said. “It’s whatever you want it to be. It’s up to them. We give them the tools. We teach everybody the same way. Like I said, everyone is in the same meetings, so it’s really up to him. He’s got the talent. He’s obviously in the NFL for a reason. It’s just like everyone else in the room. They’ve got to go earn it.”

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Connor Embree shares his thoughts on Chiefs rookie WR Rashee Rice

#Chiefs wide receivers coach Connor Embree gave a progress report on rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice. | from @EdEastonJr

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The depth at wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs is an exciting topic with a roster filled with young potential stars.

The youth doesn’t just stop at the players on the field and the Chiefs coaching staff entering the new season. Connor Embree spent the last two seasons as the quality control coach for the franchise and he’s now in a position coaching role for the first time.

The former University of Kansas running back shared his thoughts on the progress made by the Chiefs’ second-round pick, Rashee Rice, while speaking with reporters on Thursday.

“He’s doing great,” said Embree. “The whole group’s doing great. I like the whole, all 12; I think we have 12, yeah, all 12 of them. They’ve all been in work. I have zero complaints. He’s got some juice to him. He’s a bigger-bodied guy that we don’t really have in our room, so he’s a little different in that way. But he’s been great. He’s been great in the classroom (and) been great on the field.”

Embree is entering his first season as the Chiefs receivers coach after spending years in background roles within the organization. He embraces the challenge and boasts coming from a family of football coaches.

“Yeah, I mean, it’s a lot,” said Embree Yeah, I’m young, but I’ve been around it my whole life. Like I said, my dad’s been in this business. My brother is a coach for the Jets. My uncle is a high school coach out in Santa Margarita, California, but yeah, it’s just always been in my blood. I grew up wanting to be a coach. So, it takes – (Head) Coach (Andy) Reid puts a lot on us. Like you said, the behind-the-scenes type of people. I learned a lot. I had a bunch of great coaches to learn under, and it’s just been fun, so. Other than that, not much.”

The jury is still out on which talented young receivers will make the final roster cut before the start of the 2023 regular season. Rice is a capable option with plenty of upside, bringing size and physicality that the Chiefs don’t have in the room. It’ll be up to Embree in his first year as a position coach to get Rice up to speed within the offense and using his natural talents.

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