Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had an interesting answer on how his team plans to operate without star wide receiver Rashee Rice, who suffered a potential season-ending injury in Sunday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rashee Rice suffered the knee injury after being accidentally hit by Patrick Mahomes during a tackle attempt following an interception. Rice was quickly ruled out for the game, and soon after, it was reported that the Chiefs feared he suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
Per ESPN’s Adam Teicher, coach Reid told reporters that the Chiefs plan to “spread the ball around” in Rice’s absence.
“We’ve got guys here that have experience of playing in the game. It’s not that he’s the only one, doesn’t have to be the only one. We’ve got a good group of guys there that we can utilize, and we normally spread the ball around and that’s what we’ll continue to strive to do.”
The Chiefs were dealt a tough blow last month when it was announced that Marquise ‘Hollywood’ Brown would likely miss the entire 2024 regular season. Starting running back Isiah Pacheco is still out for several more weeks with a fractured fibula, but losing their No. 1 receiver in Rashee Rice further complicates matters.
I’m told #Chiefs WR Rashee Rice (knee) is seeking at least a second opinion on his injury to gather additional information, per source. Potential windows for surgery have also been discussed at this time. pic.twitter.com/i9bEPK5Wqp
— JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 30, 2024
Rice was the Chiefs’ only consistently productive wide receiver last season, but he and tight end Travis Kelce were able to make up for the team’s thin WR depth. With Rice out long-term, Kelce, rookie Xavier Worthy and veteran JuJu Smith-Schuste will need to step up considerably.
Kansas City’s 2023 second-round pick caught 79 passes for 938 yards and seven touchdowns last season. In the Chiefs’ first four games of 2024, Rashee Rice has 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Chiefs Should Trade For A WR With Rashee Rice Sidelined
Most teams can’t survive the losses of two Pro Bowl-caliber wide receivers and their starting running back. The Chiefs can get by the absences of Brown, Rice and Pacheco for now, but GM Brett Veach would be wise to add another playmaker ahead of the Nov. 5 trade deadline.
Potential options include DeAndre Hopkins and Amari Cooper, both pending free agents. The Los Angeles Rams could be open to trading Cooper Kupp if they slide out of the playoff picture, or maybe Tennessee Titans 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks would be available as well? The bottom line is that Veach has options here to shore up the WR depth with Rice out long-term.
