ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — It was October before Skyy Moore started to settle into the Kansas City Chiefs’ offense as a rookie last season.
“It’s just very detailed,” Moore said. “Coach (Andy) Reid wants you to be at a specific spot in a specific alignment.”
Trying to master the complex terminology NFL teams use to call plays was challenging enough, but he also had to learn the various options on each route at multiple positions in Reid’s notoriously meticulous offense.
“Pat is in the huddle saying a whole bunch of stuff, but I’ve got to pick out what’s talking to me,” Moore said. “As you go through it and as you get the repetition, the words become more clear about what speaks to you, so it gets easier.”
That takes time, especially to be comfortable and confident about running the route the way reigning NFL and Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes wants.
“It’s always adjusting a route,” Moore said. “That’s the biggest part of this offense is adjusting your routes to the look. ... It’s hard to explain, but it’s like when I arrive in certain windows or always being ready to break a play in the scramble drill. Stuff like that to allow him to make plays.”
Does @Chiefs WR Skyy Moore agree with his @EAMaddenNFL rating (73)? Let's just say he thinks he can do better. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/FMYgm5h3lM
— Tod Palmer (@todpalmer) August 9, 2023
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said the prevalence of no-huddle offenses in college make it a shock to the system when many young receivers get to the NFL, which is known for long and complicated play calls that often describe each route and the protection.
By Week 4 last season, Moore no longer felt like he was drowning in Kansas City’s offense, but he said experience was the only truly effective teacher.
“You’ve got to go through it to learn it basically,” Moore said. “You can take as many mental reps as you want and people can tell you everything, but, until you go mess that play up, you’re not going to really get it in your head.”
Moore ran limited option routes in college, but nearly every route with the Chiefs has multiple ways to run it.
“You’ve got a lot more freedom in your routes,” he said.
Finishing last season strong, including a key punt return in the AFC Championship and a touchdown in the Super Bowl, helped Moore return brimming with confidence to training camp for his second NFL season.
Moore said he hasn’t set personal goals for the season, but he wants to be part of another AFC West and Super Bowl champion team.
“I’m way more comfortable,” Moore said. “I’ve got that year of experience, so I feel like certain things I already know. I went through a whole season, so I shouldn’t have to get coached on where to line up. Anything that happens before the snap, I don’t need to get coached up on. It’s more like, ‘How do I beat the guy?’ instead of ‘What route do I run?’”
Nagy, who took over when Eric Bieniemy left for Washington during the offseason, expects Moore to play faster now that he’s had a year to grow in the system.
“He’ll get more opportunities and I think he’ll do well,” Nagy said.
Moore, a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, is also trying to help flatten the learning for this year’s second-round pick, Rashee Rice.
“Any questions that he has, be able to answer them, be available for him,” Moore said. “He’s a guy that I hang out with off the field.”
Moore hopes Rice can benefit from his experience, but he knows that it may take some time before the former SMU star gets comfortable. After all, he’s just got to go through it.
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