Kansas City signed Richie James to a one-year contract, and that one gets my attention. He could help fill some of the void created by the losses of JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman.
James quietly played some solid ball for the Giants last year. Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson got hurt, and James stepped up to give them solid play out of the slot. Better, in fact, than what they probably would have gotten out of those guys. James caught 81 percent of the passes thrown his way last year – the highest catch rate of any receiver in the league with at least 50 targets.
Maybe we should have done a better job of seeing this coming. I remember a Thursday night game back in 2020, when the Packers were playing at San Francisco. Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle were all out with injuries, and James stepped up in a huge way, catching 9 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown. He’s a former seventh-round pick, but he can play, and he proved it last year with the Giants. (New York has a bunch of other slot receivers – Robinson, Shepard, Jamison Crowder – but I think James is better than those guys.)
I’m not saying that catch rate is the No. 1 metric for wide receivers. It’s tied to the types of routes the player is running. The guys catching the 8-yard check-down balls finish with higher catch rates than the players running more deep routes. But James has shown some ability to be a functional NFL player.
I’m not suggesting you rush out and pick James. Kansas City has other wide receivers, including Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson. Andy Reid said something a couple of weeks ago about him having high hopes that Moore will step up in his second year. But James gives them another oar in the water. I would think there will be plenty of games where he’s a contributing receiver on the field.
Below see the 47 wide receivers in the 32-team era who’ve caught at least 75 percent of the passes thrown their way (with a minimum of 50 targets). James is one of only seven who’ve hit the 81 percent mark (which would be more impressive if two thirds of the other guys weren’t Rondale Moore, Austin Collie, Greg Dortch and Ike Hilliard).
| RECEIVERS CATCHING 75 PERCENT OF PASS ATTEMPTS (since 2002) | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Tgt | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | Pct |
| 2018 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 147 | 125 | 1,405 | 11.2 | 9 | 85.0% |
| 2021 | Rondale Moore, Ariz. | 64 | 54 | 435 | 8.1 | 1 | 84.4% |
| 2010 | Austin Collie, Ind. | 71 | 58 | 649 | 11.2 | 8 | 81.7% |
| 2022 | Richie James, NYG | 70 | 57 | 569 | 10.0 | 4 | 81.4% |
| 2018 | Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 70 | 57 | 965 | 16.9 | 10 | 81.4% |
| 2022 | Greg Dortch, Ariz. | 64 | 52 | 467 | 9.0 | 2 | 81.3% |
| 2008 | Ike Hilliard, T.B. | 58 | 47 | 424 | 9.0 | 4 | 81.0% |
| 2019 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 185 | 149 | 1,725 | 11.6 | 9 | 80.5% |
| 2021 | Hunter Renfrow, L.V. | 128 | 103 | 1,038 | 10.1 | 9 | 80.5% |
| 2020 | Curtis Samuel, Car. | 97 | 77 | 851 | 11.1 | 3 | 79.4% |
| 2021 | Kendrick Bourne, N.E. | 70 | 55 | 800 | 14.6 | 5 | 78.6% |
| 2012 | Brandon Stokley, Den. | 58 | 45 | 544 | 12.1 | 5 | 77.6% |
| 2009 | Mike Thomas, Jac. | 62 | 48 | 453 | 9.4 | 1 | 77.4% |
| 2020 | Chris Godwin, T.B. | 84 | 65 | 840 | 12.9 | 7 | 77.4% |
| 2007 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 145 | 112 | 1,175 | 10.5 | 8 | 77.2% |
| 2022 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, K.C. | 101 | 78 | 933 | 12.0 | 3 | 77.2% |
| 2020 | Davante Adams, G.B. | 149 | 115 | 1,374 | 12.0 | 18 | 77.2% |
| 2021 | Chris Godwin, T.B. | 127 | 98 | 1,103 | 11.3 | 5 | 77.2% |
| 2012 | Randall Cobb, G.B. | 104 | 80 | 954 | 11.9 | 8 | 76.9% |
| 2014 | Brandin Cooks, N.O. | 69 | 53 | 550 | 10.4 | 3 | 76.8% |
| 2017 | Golden Tate, Det. | 120 | 92 | 1,003 | 10.9 | 5 | 76.7% |
| 2020 | Cole Beasley, Buff. | 107 | 82 | 967 | 11.8 | 4 | 76.6% |
| 2014 | Wes Welker, Den. | 64 | 49 | 464 | 9.5 | 2 | 76.6% |
| 2022 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 98 | 75 | 812 | 10.8 | 6 | 76.5% |
| 2016 | Cole Beasley, Dall. | 98 | 75 | 833 | 11.1 | 5 | 76.5% |
| 2020 | Stefon Diggs, Buff. | 166 | 127 | 1,535 | 12.1 | 8 | 76.5% |
| 2020 | Demarcus Robinson, K.C. | 59 | 45 | 466 | 10.4 | 3 | 76.3% |
| 2016 | Michael Thomas, N.O. | 121 | 92 | 1,137 | 12.4 | 9 | 76.0% |
| 2002 | Dennis Northcutt, Cle. | 50 | 38 | 601 | 15.8 | 5 | 76.0% |
| 2009 | Wes Welker, N.E. | 162 | 123 | 1,348 | 11.0 | 4 | 75.9% |
| 2021 | Cooper Kupp, LAR | 191 | 145 | 1,947 | 13.4 | 16 | 75.9% |
| 2014 | Kenny Stills, N.O. | 83 | 63 | 931 | 14.8 | 3 | 75.9% |
| 2020 | JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pitt. | 128 | 97 | 831 | 8.6 | 9 | 75.8% |
| 2020 | Tyler Lockett, Sea. | 132 | 100 | 1,054 | 10.5 | 10 | 75.8% |
| 2015 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 103 | 78 | 1,069 | 13.7 | 14 | 75.7% |
| 2017 | Ted Ginn, N.O. | 70 | 53 | 787 | 14.9 | 4 | 75.7% |
| 2009 | Kevin Walter, Hou. | 70 | 53 | 611 | 11.5 | 2 | 75.7% |
| 2015 | Jamison Crowder, Was. | 78 | 59 | 604 | 10.2 | 2 | 75.6% |
| 2021 | Amon-Ra St. Brown, Det. | 119 | 90 | 912 | 10.1 | 5 | 75.6% |
| 2015 | Keenan Allen, S.D. | 89 | 67 | 725 | 10.8 | 4 | 75.3% |
| 2016 | Doug Baldwin, Sea. | 125 | 94 | 1,128 | 12.0 | 7 | 75.2% |
| 2015 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 145 | 109 | 1,215 | 11.2 | 9 | 75.2% |
| 2020 | Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | 72 | 54 | 409 | 7.6 | 1 | 75.0% |
| 2020 | Julio Jones, Atl. | 68 | 51 | 771 | 15.1 | 3 | 75.0% |
| 2016 | Stefon Diggs, Min. | 112 | 84 | 903 | 10.8 | 3 | 75.0% |
| 2016 | Adam Thielen, Min. | 92 | 69 | 967 | 14.0 | 5 | 75.0% |
| 2014 | Jarvis Landry, Mia. | 112 | 84 | 758 | 9.0 | 5 | 75.0% |
—Ian Allan