Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes are excited to see Skyy Moore’s second season

After the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, the Kansas City Chiefs entered the offseason with major questions at wide receiver.

Though frequently linked to what seems like every available veteran option — and the top talent available in this year’s NFL Draft — the team hasn’t made a spashy move to acquire one; it appears that the Chiefs are legitimately willing to rely on the young receiving talent already on their roster.

When the media was allowed to observe the offseason practice sessions in both the organized team activities (OTAs) and the mandatory minicamp, reports have frequently said that second-year wide receiver Skyy Moore was receiving a heavy target share.

Moore — Kansas City’s second-round selection in 2022 — spoke to the media after Wednesday’s practice. He admitted that as a rookie, he had a difficult time learning head coach Andy Reid’s offense — but now feels more confident and ready to show what he has learned.

Speaking on Thursday, both Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes praised his efforts.

“Skyy was targeted quite a bit this preseason,” Reid confirmed. “He was one of the higher targets. He had the most catches — or close to the most catches. I think he’s taken a good jump. Most of all, the quarterback trusts him. He’s willing to throw him the ball. That’s why I mentioned the number. The quarterback’s not going to throw it to you if he doesn’t trust you.”

Reid also trusts Moore’s mindset because he has already seen how the Western Michigan product handles adversity.

“[Skyy] still [has a] ton of room to climb and to grow,” he noted. “He’s so willing, though. You got a chance to see it. One of the good parts of his personality is [that] when everything was going wrong last year with the punt returns, he didn’t let that bother him. He came back and he’d have a big catch in the same game. And that was all new territory for him with those punt returns. The resiliency — and [being] able to focus back in — that’s a good quality to have.”

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Moore fumbled multiple punt returns as he tried to learn a role he did not possess in college. And in spite of the disastrous regular-season results, he came through in the playoffs with a clutch 29-yard punt return that helped set up the winning field goal in the AFC Championship.

Mahomes sees him as ready to step in for the departed Smith-Schuster.

“Skyy’s a great player,” he declared. “I think you could see at the end of last year how he was picking stuff up and making big plays. I think that kind of just transitioned right into this season.

“He’s someone that’s going to be called upon more — kind of in that same role probably [that] JuJu was in last year. But he can also go over the top and make big plays happen. In another year in the offense — I think you see with Coach Reid’s offense, it’s hard for those young guys sometimes to have an expanded role. As the season goes on, the role kind of expands. And then that second year is when they really take off.

“I’m excited for him.”