The Kansas City Chiefs will get a massive reinforcement on Sunday, with wide receiver Rashee Rice ready to play his first game of the year after serving a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.
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Rice has proven over the past two years that he can be an above-average player for the Chiefs, showing many flashes as someone who can make a big play for them when it matters most.
His best season came in 2023, when he posted 938 yards and seven touchdowns. He only played in four games in 2024, but had 288 yards and two touchdowns.
Given that Rice hasn’t played in a game this year, there are certainly questions about how he’ll look and if he’ll be on a snap count.
However, according to Nate Taylor of ESPN, Rice said that he’s been keeping himself in great shape, practicing in the heat Monday through Friday and doing a workout on Sunday to stay ready for game day.
“I tried to keep myself in the heat, just like [St. Joseph, Missouri],” Rice said Friday. “I trained Monday through Friday and did some type of workout on Sunday to have my mind get ready to get active on a game day.”
According to head coach Andy Reid, he’s been impressed with how Rice has looked early on. Practice and games are much different, and Reid made sure to admit that, but it’s a promising sign that he’s healthy and ready to go.
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“He looked sharp,” Reid said of Rice. “It’s not a game, but what we asked him to do, he did well. You can tell he’s in good shape. That’s always your worry when someone misses a few weeks because it’s different when you’re playing. But he busted his tail, so now it’s just a matter of getting in a game and getting reps. We’ll see how all that goes.”
As the Chiefs look to get back to a Super Bowl, having Rice back certainly helps.
If there’s been one issue for Kansas City, despite the offense looking a bit better over the past few weeks, it’s been their lack of a player who can go out and make a big play.
Rice has proven over his young career that he can be that guy.
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