Rashee Rice has been cleared to play on week 1 against the Ravens as the verdict of his road rage on the Dallas highway has been delayed.
Rashee Rice was one of the few sparks in the otherwise deflated Kansas City Chiefs offense in 2023. The second-round pick recorded the second-best receiving numbers for the reigning Super Bowl winners.
Rice only trailed veteran Travis Kelce (tight end) in yards and catches with 938 from 79 receptions and 7 touchdowns. He was one of the top prospects for the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award.
Despite the glory and memorable performances on the gridiron, Rice became a rogue individual off it. Shortly after bagging his first ring, Rice found himself in a road rage, leaving several requiring medical attention.
The 24-year-old Texas native was AWOL from the police until he decided to turn himself in. Rice avoided extended jail time as the cops let him leave after he paid a fine.
Rice missed the first couple of weeks of OTA, but head coach Andy Reid revealed the second-year wideout joined team meetings via FaceTime. The Chiefs hierarchy did not prevent Rice from attending training sessions with the first team until the court’s verdict on a possible suspension.
Rice made it into the Chiefs 53-man roster with new additions Juju Smith-Schuster and Xavier Worthy. It seems he will have no problem starting games for the Kansas City outfit because the court judgment got delayed, and without the final verdict, the league will not take any disciplinary actions against the SMU graduate, according to The Washington Post’s Mark Maske.
Patrick Mahomes says Rashee Rice will be a lot better than his rookie year
Rice showed that he can pull his own weight against some of the elite corners in the game. His quarterback, Patrick Mahomes, claimed the young receiver would perform even better because of his first-year experience in the Chiefs system.
I think he's going to be a lot better this year, honestly. 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.Patrick Mahomes said per Sports Illustrated.
The multiple-time Super Bowl and league MVP also highlighted the skill that makes Rice a great receiver, which is going to be very useful for him in 2024.
He could always work in space and catch the ball and run and [be] explosive, which is super important.Mahomes added.
One thing the 28-year-old guaranteed is that Rice is learning quickly and doing better. The news of his verdict getting delayed should ease his tension by half as the Chiefs chase a historic three-peat.
