The Kansas City Chiefs are moving on from one of their more disappointing recent early-round draft selections.
The team on Wednesday agreed to trade wide receiver Skyy Moore to the San Francisco 49ers, per multiple reports.
Moore, 24, was a second-round pick out of Western Michigan in 2022. The 5-10, 195-pound target served primarily as a backup as a rookie before making eight starts in 2023, but he struggled to establish himself as a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes. A core muscle injury limited him to just six games last season, and he has not caught a pass since December 2023.
Now, a player who appeared to have an uphill battle to remain in Kansas City for the final year of his rookie contract has a new home.
Despite Moore’s various setbacks, which included a hamstring injury in training camp and two drops in last week’s preseason loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub maintained his faith in the wide receiver and returner’s future.
‘His punt-return ability and kick-return ability has really gotten better over the years,’ Toub said Tuesday of Moore, who returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown against the Seahawks. “It showed right there. He’s solid there in that part of it. The other part is the mental thing with him. It’s just getting over the hump.
‘He’s definitely an NFL player, whether he’s on our team or not on our team. I think the return helped him and opened a lot of eyes for people. He’s a good football player.”
In San Francisco, Moore will provide depth to a San Francisco receiving corps dealing with a rash of injuries. Brandon Aiyuk is expected to sit out at least the first few weeks of the season as he recovers from last season’s knee injury, while Jauan Jennings has been slowed by a calf ailment. Backups Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins also remain sidelined, and Demarcus Robinson is facing a three-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on substance abuse, coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed Wednesday.