Patrick Mahomes gets new receiver Bub Means for the Chiefs but can he deliver what Tyreek Hill once did?

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have added a new wide receiver, but Bub Means arrives with a much bigger question attached: Can he give the quarterback the kind of impact Tyreek Hill once brought to Kansas City? The Chiefs signed Means to their practice squad Thursday, Nov. 5, after he worked out for the team. The move gives Kansas City another option as it looks for depth at receiver.

The timing follows a difficult stretch for the Chiefs. They have lost two straight games, including a 28-24 defeat to the Denver Broncos in Week 8, but remain 5-2 after seven games. Mahomes has thrown for 1,795 yards and 12 touchdowns, with four interceptions. Kansas City hosts the New York Jets on Sunday, Nov. 8, at noon CT.

Bub Means has a long way to go to match Tyreek Hill

Bub Means has shown flashes, but his NFL résumé is still limited. The New Orleans Saints drafted him in the fifth round in 2024, and he caught nine passes for 118 yards and a touchdown in seven games as a rookie.

An ankle injury kept him out for the 2025 season. After stints with New Orleans and Cleveland, he is now joining Kansas City’s practice squad.

His college production offers a reason for the Chiefs to take a closer look . At Pittsburgh in 2023, Means caught 41 passes for 721 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 17.6 yards per catch.

That big-play potential could make him an intriguing developmental option, but his college numbers have yet to translate into sustained NFL production.

Tyreek Hill set a far higher bar during his six seasons with Kansas City, recording 479 catches, 6,630 receiving yards and 56 receiving touchdowns. He became one of Mahomes’ most dangerous targets, able to turn a short completion into a game-changing play.

Means has only 118 career receiving yards, so the comparison is more a measure of what Kansas City needs than an expectation he can immediately fill Hill’s role.

For now, Bub is a practice-squad addition, not a guaranteed answer to the Chiefs’ receiving questions. He will need to earn opportunities and show that his speed and playmaking can carry over at the NFL level.

Kansas City Chiefs may be hoping to uncover another useful target for Patrick Mahomes; matching what Tyreek Hill once delivered is a much taller challenge.