There was an update on Kansas City Chiefs star wide receiver Rashee Rice on October 3.
Per head coach Andy Reid, Rice is the only player that won’t practice ahead of Week 5, but his long-term status has still yet to be determined. The current plan is to wait for the swelling in his right knee to subside before further testing next week, which explains why the Chiefs have not placed Rice on the injured reserve at this time.
After the press conference, Arrowhead Pride’s Pete Sweeney relayed that he “spotted Rashee Rice in the Chiefs locker room.”
“Rice’s right leg was wrapped in a full leg sleeve, and he was walking about normally without crutches,” Sweeney noted. Adding that Rice “won’t be available to the media until he recovers.”
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes expressed optimism on Rice’s injury during a private interview with Chiefs Digest insider Matt Derrick on October 2.
“Hopefully we have him back soon,” Mahomes told Derrick, among other KC media members. “I think the best thing about coach Reid is he’s done it with a lot of guys before, and so I have the trust that he’s going to be able to get that production back, and then hopefully we get Rashee back as time goes on, and maybe even Hollywood [Brown], we can just keep adding to the offense.”
When Reid was asked about this growing sense of optimism surrounding Rice’s knee on October 3, however, the Chiefs HC was more cautious.
“I think it’s just wait and see, is where we’re at,” Reid said. “For his sake, we’re really hoping that things work out for the best. But let’s just see where it goes and leave it up to the doctors to [decide].”
Later, on October 3, the Chiefs placed Rice on the injured reserve according to NFL insider Albert Breer, meaning he will miss at least four games.
Andy Reid & Patrick Mahomes Weigh in on Chiefs’ Offensive Gameplan Without Rashee Rice
When it comes to Rice’s injury, there’s really only one certainty as of October 3 — and that is that the second-year playmaker will miss Week 5.
“Rashee’s had a phenomenal year,” Reid acknowledged on Thursday. “Unfortunately, in this league, injuries happen, and life goes on. So, we have always expected the next guys to step up and roll. And it’s no different now.”
“There’s not another Rashee,” the veteran head coach went on. “There [are] other guys though, that are very, very good. So, we’ll be fine.”
Mahomes discussed some of those other options while talking about the Chiefs’ gameplan ahead of Week 5.
“It’s not even just in the receiving room, but in the tight end room, the running back room, everything,” Mahomes said on Wednesday (via Derrick). “It’s hard to replace that production with just one guy. I mean, he’s a special type of receiver the way he’s able to run with the football after the catch and then still run routes and catch the ball downfield as well.”
The Chiefs QB highlighted JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson and tight end Noah Gray as a few of the players that could be asked to step up with Rice unavailable. He also added that KC is going to have to “give [rookie Xavier] Worthy more chances, kind of across the field and underneath.”
“We’ll take care of business,” Reid assured. “[General manager Brett] Veach has done a good job of bringing people in here and depth and [all] that. So, just gotta take care of business.”
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Opens up About How He Felt After Contributing to Rashee Rice’s Injury
On October 3, Mahomes addressed the media ahead of Week 5 versus the New Orleans Saints. He was asked about how he felt personally after his tackle attempt contributed to Rice’s knee injury.
“When I saw the replay, I felt like [expletive] that I hit Rashee,” Mahomes admitted. “I think that’s pretty much [it]. I wasn’t really worried about myself I was worried about… his injury and hopefully that it wasn’t as bad as it looked because I was the one that hit him.”
Earlier, the Chiefs QB noted that he was “just trying to make a play” and that this type of thing “happens” in football sometimes.
After the first three weeks of the season, Rice was on pace for 136 catches and 1,632 receiving yards in 2024. However long his absence may be, his impact will be sorely missed by Kansas City.
