The Kansas City Chiefs have been anxiously waiting to see the severity of the injury to star wide receiver Rashee Rice. Initially, the team feared that he would be lost for the remainder of the NFL season.
But there has been some hope in recent days on his status. The injury may not be as bad as the team once believed it to be but Rice is still likely to miss time due to the issue.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid provided the latest update on Thursday, saying that Kansas City had to wait for the swelling in his knee to subside before they could accurately see the damage.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported the news on social media.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters that they want to wait for the swelling in Rashee Rice’s knee to subside before the wide receiver undergoes additional testing next week.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 3, 2024
Rice suffered his knee injury during Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He was carted off the field and the team believed that he would be done for the season.
Luckily for them, it seems that Rice may have dodged a massive bullet when it comes to his injury. The Chiefs can’t afford to lose Rice for the rest of the year as they have already dealt with some injuries on offense.
Wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown is expected to miss the regular season due to injury. Rice will likely miss some time meaning that others on the team will need to step up.
Kansas City still has star tight end Travis Kelce, who will likely see an even heavier workload with Rice missing time. The Chiefs also have rookie sensation Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Justin Watson, and Mecole Hardman to use in the offensive attack.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – SEPTEMBER 22: Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks with Rashee Rice #4 of the Kansas City Chiefs during the third quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. Rice could end up dodging a bullet with his recent injury.
Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
However, the presence of Rice won’t be easy to replicate. He has emerged as one of the more explosive offensive weapons around the entire NFL and has given the Kansas City offense some life.
Through the first few weeks of the new season, he has caught 24 passes for 288 and two touchdowns. Last year, he registered 79 catches for 938 yards and seven scores.
Rice was a big reason why the Chiefs ended up winning the Super Bowl again, giving Kansas City a dynamic weapon for star quarterback Patrick Mahomes to throw too. He has developed a nice chemistry with Mahomes early on in his career so his absence will be felt.
Mahomes spoke about the injury to his star pass-catcher.
“He’s a complete receiver,” quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “He’s getting better and better and he can do it all. I think people see the short stuff and they get enamored by it because it’s so special when he catches the ball, but he can catch the ball down the field, he can block, he can do whatever — everything it takes to be a good receiver in this league.”
The Chiefs hope that Rice will still get some positive news regarding this injury. But we will have to wait and see how the tests come back once his knee stops swelling as much.
For more Chiefs news, make sure to head over to Newsweek Sports.
