There has been no rookie receiver during the Patrick Mahomes era that has produced exceptionally like Kansas City Chiefs wideout Rashee Rice did during the 2023 season. The scariest part about that for the rest of the NFL is that Mahomes expects a much-improved version of Rice in year two.
“I think he’s going to be a lot better this year, honestly,” Mahomes said during his postgame press conference on August 17. “Just the way he’s able to run routes, it was coming along at the end of last year, but he worked on it this whole offseason and he’s in great shape, he’s coming in, he’s running great routes. I mean, even one of the plays I looked to the left and it wasn’t covered and he was kind of the back-side, and he won against a guy [in] man-to-man coverage, caught the ball and makes the positive play, and those are the little things that I think he’s going to continue to get better and better at.”
Rashee Rice a 1,000-yard WR in 2024?
During his rookie season, Rice was targeted 102 times and caught 79 passes for 938 yards and 7 touchdowns in 16 regular season games played, according to Pro Football Reference. He also caught 26 passes on 33 targets for 262 yards and 1 touchdown in four postseason games.
It’s evident from the box score that Mahomes relied on Rice much more during the second half of the 2023 season, which makes sense when considering that Rice’s familiarity with the playbook and his QB improved as the season progressed. That’s why it’s not surprising that Rice was Mahomes’s most targeted pass-catcher in Week 2 of the preseason.
Against Detroit, Rice caught 4-of-5 targets for 35 yards, all of which came with Mahomes under center.
Having now spent one full season and offseason together, Rice and Mahomes have an improved chemistry, which should help provide more consistency for a Chiefs offense that was very inconsistent last season.
“[Rice] could always work in space and catch the ball and run and [be] explosive, which is super important,” Mahomes continued during his August 17 postgame press conference. “I think he’s getting better and better at winning one-on-one and winning with routes, and I think that’s going to help his game go to that next level.”
It’s unlikely that the NFL will reach a verdict before the regular season begins regarding Rice’s involvement in a multi-car crash during the offseason. So, Rice is expected to be available when the team faces the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL regular season opener on Thursday, September 5.
If Mahomes is right and Rice is a much-improved player from last season, then there’s no reason he can’t eclipse 1,000 receiving yards during the 2024 season, barring a suspension.
X Users Reacted to Rashee Rice’s Week 2 Preseason Effort
Users on X — formerly Twitter — reacted to Rice’s preseason Week 2 effort against the Lions.
“Rashee Rice doesn’t look likely to see a suspension in 2024, but he does look likely for 120+ targets,” Kate Magdziuk of Yahoo Fantasy Sports wrote.
“Love to see Rashee Rice doing damage deeper down the field after a fairly low ADOT as a rookie,” Adam Best of Arrowhead Addict wrote. “What he needs to add to be a complete receiver and he seems to be on his way.”
“All offseason people have been talking about how Mahomes had a new WR1 in Hollywood, but in reality the WR1 was always going to be Rashee Rice,” another person wrote.
