Rashee Rice will be ‘ready to go’ for Chiefs training camp: What does his return mean for Kansas City?

The Kansas City Chiefs were without Rashee Rice for most of the 2024 season due to a knee injury, but his recovery is progressing well and he will cleared to join the team for training camp, coach Andy Reid told reporters Thursday. Rice, who had surgery to repair an LCL tear in October, has been a full participant for voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

“They’re both ready to go, yeah,” Reid said of Rice and offensive tackle Josh Simmons, the team’s first-round pick, for July’s training camp. “They actually got great work in in these camps here.”

Before going down with the injury, Rice had 24 catches for 288 yards and three touchdowns in just four games. 

This is big news for the Chiefs’ offense, who get their No. 1 wide receiver back. The Chiefs lost DeAndre Hopkins, who headed to fellow AFC powerhouse Baltimore Ravens in free agency, and star tight end Travis Kelce is only getting older, turning 36 in October, which only increases Rice’s value on the depth chart.

Rice was a second-round pick in 2023 and immediately established himself as a contributing member of the team, setting rookie records for receiving touchdowns (7) and receptions (79). He’s only had one full season under his belt, but proved to be a top-tier option for Patrick Mahomes.

The Chiefs wide receiver room also includes Marquise Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Xavier Worthy and fourth-round rookie Jalen Royals. Rice has high expectations for the Chiefs’ wideouts, saying they are going to be “explosive” and “put on a show” this year. 

Kansas City came close to becoming the first team in Super Bowl history to three-peat, but fell short to the Philadelphia Eagles, whose defense embarrassed a usually composed Patrick Mahomes-led squad. The Chiefs looked different last year and despite being one of the best teams in the league, there were glaring issues on offense like a lack of explosive plays and dropped balls.

The Chiefs are focused on being back on top this season and improvement in their pass game is crucial if they want to make another Super Bowl run. Rice has the ability to extend plays and get downfield and could prove to be an dynamic fit with Worthy, who finished his rookie season with a strong postseason performance. 

Last season, the Chiefs ranked 27th in the league in explosive plays per dropback, gaining more than 15 yards only 6.2% of the time. Only the Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Chicago Bears were worse, and all of those teams missed the playoffs. 

They were on the lower end of the league in yards per attempt (6.7), had just 42 passing plays for 20-plus yards, sixth-worst in the league, and had just four passing plays for 40-plus yards, tied for second-worst. Their long was 54 yards, third-worst in the league. 

The return of Rice should help remedy some of those issues.