‘He looks really good ... he’s been able to do everything here as far as running routes and everything like that.’
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes gave an update on injured wide receiver Rashee Rice.
Rice rose to prominence as a rookie in 2023 as the Chiefs’ second-leading receiver. But an injury suffered early in the season cost him most of his sophomore campaign.
In a
virtual press conference from his home, where he is
hosting workouts with his receivers, Mahomes said Rice is in good shape following surgery to repair his knee and hamstring, and noted that this year is the first one with some continuity in the receiver room.
“Everything looks great,” Mahomes observed of the receivers. “Getting the guys back healthy, as far as Rashee and having Hollywood [Brown] fully healthy, and Xavier [Worthy] in year two, I think the offense has a chance to be really, really good.”
“It’s just about keeping building. I’m excited to have these guys again. We’ve had a lot of turnover in the receiving room and it seems like the core group will be back in its entirety. So the goal is to try to build on it, and get even better, and try to get back to some of the explosive passing plays that we’ve done in years past.”
The Chiefs receiver room has undergone significant overhauls in the past five seasons. It is currently
headlined by Worthy, Brown, Rice, 2023 undrafted free agent Nikko Remigio, 2022 second-round pick Skyy Moore, 2022 UDFA Justyn Ross, veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster, free agent acquisition Tyquan Thornton, and practice squad wideout Jason Brownlee.
The
Chiefs went into the season with Worthy, Brown, Rice, Smith-Schuster, Moore, Justin Watson, and Mecole Hardman.
At the beginning of the 2023 season, their receiver depth chart was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, Moore, Watson, Rice, Richie James, and Ross.
In 2022, the receiver room was Valdes-Scantling, Hardman, Smith-Schuster, Watson, and Moore.
In 2021, their receivers were Tyreek Hill, Hardman, Byron Pringle, Demarcus Robinson, and Daurice Fountain.
Besides the turnover,
injuries marred the team’s performance last season. Brown missed the first 14 weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. Hardman missed five weeks with a knee injury. Moore played the first six games before going on IR for the rest of the season. Smith-Schuster missed three games with a hamstring injury.
Rice played just four games before being placed on IR for the rest of the season. While chasing a fumble against the Los Angeles Chargers, Rice collided with Mahomes. He suffered a knee injury that required
surgery to repair his LCL, and also repaired his hamstring tendon; there was no structural damage to his ACL or meniscus.
Both Rice and head coach Andy Reid confirmed progress in his recovery.
“The knee is doing great,” Rice said in an interview with
Muscle & Fitness magazine before Super Bowl LIX in February. “I’ve focused on mobility and balancing, incorporating kettlebells and lighter weights for squats. I didn’t even realize that I was enhancing my range of motion.”
“I can’t necessarily give you the [return date],” Reid said of Rice and tight end Jared Wiley—who also went down with a knee injury in November—at a
press conference Monday. “They’re doing well. That’s taking place right now, but I can’t tell you when they will be back exactly here. Both have been busting their tail, they’re running, which is good. We’ll just see how it goes going forward here. We don’t have them here on the field right now with us, so we’ve got to see the football part of it as we go.”
Mahomes also praised Rice’s progress.
“The expectations are high,” Mahomes said. “He looks really good. He’s running routes, he’s catching the football. I don’t know—when we get back into the actual OTAs—how much he’ll be able to do, but he’s been able to do everything here as far as running routes and everything like that.
“I know it was unfortunate how he got hurt last year, but it was so, so early in the season that he’s going to get pretty much a complete off season, which I think will be big going into this season.”
