The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense didn’t have the usual impact it used to have last season, and the big reason was that receiver Rashee Rice suffered a knee injury in Week 4.
That would sideline the promising receiver for the rest of the year, just as he was announcing himself as a top receiver in football.
Now, on the comeback trail, Rice is poised to add to Patrick Mahomes’ arsenal of weapons and help push this offense to great heights in 2025. Yes, we know that players coming back from substantial injuries take time to get their “football legs” back, and Rice will need time to build back up.
But CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin thinks the receiver, who will be in his third year, will come back with a vengeance in 2025.
“By the end of his 2023 rookie season with the Kansas City Chiefs, Rice was arguably Patrick Mahomes’ top pass catcher, emerging with sure, savvy hands to help the club win Super Bowl LVIII,” Benjamin writes. “All the promise came to an abrupt halt early in 2024, though, when a torn LCL sidelined him for the Chiefs’ final 13 games. He might still be limited to open Year 3, especially with Xavier Worthy capable of stretching the field for Mahomes, but Rice remains the most well-rounded wideout on Kansas City’s title-contending roster.”
Sep 29, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) is assisted by medical staff after an injury in the first half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Exactly what the stats will look like is unknown, given that Juju Smith-Schuster, Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, and Travis Kelce will be on the field, but Rice will see his fair share of targets.
Not likely to be the “main” guy, at least initially, the Chiefs might slowly ramp Rashee up to begin the season.
But once he hits full speed, we know the type of receiver he can be, and his return might just be the ace in Andy Reid’s deck to once again make a deep playoff run that sees the Chiefs sit atop the AFC mountain again.
