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Chiefs expect Skyy Moore to step up in place of JuJu Smith-Schuster

The Kansas City Chiefs lost both JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency, leaving a void at the position heading into the 2023 NFL season.

NFL Network’s Steve Wyche caught up with Chiefs HC Andy Reid at the annual league meeting in Phoenix, Arizona to ask him about the team’s receiver situation. His response was to name last year’s second-round pick at the receiver position, Skyy Moore, as the solution.

“We are expecting Skyy Moore to step up,” Reid said, via NFL.com. “We’ll just see how everything else works. We got the same guys coming back that we had, and we like that group with the exception of JuJu. Mecole was banged up a little bit so he didn’t have a chance to play as much as he would have wanted. We’ll work out the thing without JuJu. Somebody will have to step up and take that spot.”

Moore spent the entire 2022 NFL season behind Smith-Schuster on the depth chart, so he’ll naturally get the first crack at filling that role in Kansas City. He finished the year with 22 receptions for 250 yards, adding another five receptions for 17 yards during the postseason with his first career touchdown in Super Bowl LVII.

Traditionally, every receiver that has been drafted by the Chiefs under Andy Reid has seen an uptick in production in their second season with the team outside of a few exceptions. If Moore is able to step into the role occupied by Smith-Schuster last season, he’s surely in for a big year in Kansas City.

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Story originally appeared on Chiefs Wire