Bengals DB: Worthy is fast, but 'that's about it'
Xavier Worthy showcased his record-breaking speed during his NFL debut, but at least one member of the Cincinnati Bengals‘ secondary wasn’t overly impressed with the Kansas City Chiefs rookie.
Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt did not mince words Wednesday when asked about the qualities that Worthy adds to Kansas City’s offense.
“Speed, that’s about it,” Taylor-Britt told reporters. “He can run straight — run jet sweeps and just run straight. He can’t do too much else, so that’s about it.”
The Bengals visit the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs on Sunday, when Taylor-Britt figures to line up against Worthy.
Worthy was drafted by Kansas City with the 28th pick after dazzling at this year’s NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in a record 4.21 seconds.
The former University of Texas star showed off those wheels last Thursday, when he hauled in a 35-yard touchdown reception and also ran for a 21-yard score in the Chiefs’ 27-20 victory over the Ravens. Taylor-Britt seemed confident that the Bengals would be able to contain the 5-foot-11, 165-pound Worthy.
“I feel like if you put your hands on him, he’s only a hundred-something pounds,” Taylor-Britt said. “If you put hands on him, you’re going to stop his speed. So basically get your hands on him.”
Despite the two touchdowns, Worthy did appear to have a somewhat limited role in Kansas City’s opener, finishing with two catches on just three targets and the one carry that resulted in the long TD run.
Patrick Mahomes said Wednesday that Worthy showed, however, that “he’s able to run routes and find open spaces” and added that the Chiefs “want him to keep building.”
“It’s just going to be a spark,” Mahomes said when asked about Worthy’s debut. “It shows what he can do. Obviously, it showed his speed. It showed how he’s able to run routes and find open spaces. … It’s just kind of a start for him. We want him to keep building. We want to get him more and more involved in the offense, but a great start.”
