More than two decades after entering the NFL coaching ranks as an unpaid intern with the Kansas City Chiefs under former head coach Dick Vermeil in 2003, Chad O’Shea returned to his first pro coaching stop this offseason. The Chiefs named O’Shea the team’s wide receivers coach on January 19.
Since cutting his teeth on Vermeil’s staff, O’Shea has carved out a career as a respected coach of the receiver position — most notably with the New England Patriots, where he was a part of three Super Bowl-winning
squads. He was most recently the wide receivers coach and passing game coordinator for the Cleveland Browns.
After the Browns fired head coach Kevin Stefanski, the Chiefs plucked O’Shea off the market to replace outgoing wide receivers coach Conner Embree. The existing in-house talent was a selling point for the veteran assistant.
“As an outsider looking in,” O’Shea remarked from Wednesday’s open media organized-team-activities (OTAs) session, “I always had a lot of respect for the roster that was built here, especially at the receiver position. I was excited to get started because of the variety of skill sets in the room.
“These guys all do different things well,” O’Shea continued. “Now that I’ve had the chance to get into the meeting room and work with them on the field, they haven’t disappointed me. One thing that’s really stood out is how they work. Their work ethic, attitude and willingness to accept coaching have been outstanding. They have embraced everything we’ve asked them to do.”
One player standing out early to O’Shea is third-year wideout Xavier Worthy. The team’s first round draft pick from 2024 set the NFL combine record for fastest 40-yard dash time (4.21 seconds). With that in mind, O’Shea was still wowed by the speed in-person.
“It’s even more impressive than I expected,” said the coach. “I knew Xavier was fast, but when you’re on the field with him every day, you really see it. I try to get the ball out as quickly as I can when he’s running. He has tremendous speed, and obviously that’s a major part of his skill set.”
However, the veteran coach believes Worthy brings much more to the table than blazing running ability.
“The first thing,” O’Shea observed, “is something people don’t see: what he does off the field. He’s tremendous in the classroom. His preparation has been outstanding. He’s very coachable. When we correct mistakes, he moves on quickly and applies the coaching.
“I don’t think people always see that side of a player. His preparation is excellent.”
Under O’Shea’s coaching, expect to see a more rounded game for Worthy than in his first two seasons.
“I’ve also been very impressed with his ball skills,” O’Shea added. “He catches the ball extremely well at all three levels — short, intermediate and deep. You saw some of that today. We were able to connect on a few deep throws. Everybody knows about the speed, but I’ve been really impressed with how well he catches the football.”
O’Shea has been impressed with the entire room, including an intriguing first-year player.
“We have guys across the board,” he noted, “who bring unique traits to the table. A rookie like Cyrus Allen, for example, has worked hard and brings a different skill set than the next guy. That’s what makes this group exciting to coach.”
The Chiefs’ wide receiver corps has caused stress among the fan base. O’Shea has clear expectations in what he wants to see from a young room.
“The receivers’ job is to get open, catch the football and compete in the run game,” he declared. “We want to be as detailed and dependable as possible for the team. We’re going to put the team first, work hard every day and focus on improvement. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Pro Bowl player or a player fighting for a practice squad spot. The formula is the same.”
“I’ve been fortunate to see success with that approach,” O’Shea pointed out. “Keep it simple, stay in the present and focus on getting better every day.”
