In the Kansas City Chiefs’ second preseason game for the 2024 NFL season, rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy garnered most of the attention given to the team’s pass catchers. However, it was second-year wide receiver Rashee Rice who led the team in pass catches and made a strong impression alongside Worthy early in the game.
After the 24-23 loss, quarterback Patrick Mahomes talked about what he saw from Rice on Saturday and why he expects even more from last season’s No. 1 wide receiver in 2024.
“I think he’s going to get a lot better this year, honestly,” Mahomes began. “He can run routes, that showed at the end of last year, but he’s been working on it all offseason and he’s in great shape, he comes in, he runs great routes. I mean, even on one of the plays I looked to the left, he wasn’t covered and he was kind of behind, and he got through a guy in man coverage, caught the ball and made the positive play, and those are the little things that I think he’s going to keep getting better at.”
Mahomes pointed out that Rice can continue to build on the skills that nearly got him to the 1,000-yard mark in his rookie season as he improves his game and develops as a wide receiver.
“He’s always been able to work in space and catch the ball and run and be explosive, which is super important,” Mahomes continued. “I think he’s getting better and better at winning one-on-ones and routes, and I think that’s going to help his game get to the next level.”
After a very loud offseason, things have gone quiet on a potential suspension for Rice for the 2024 season. Rice declined to comment when asked if he had spoken to the league since his offseason arrest, and there have been no meaningful updates or reports on the league’s plans for Rice. Even the legal timeline is up for debate. While Rice has a court date scheduled for December, it is a civil suit and is not intended to resolve his criminal charges. It’s possible the league will wait for the legal process to conclude, which would seemingly absolve Rice of any league discipline in 2024. The NFL could also choose to be proactive, given that it has video from the scene of the accident and Rice’s confession. The team would probably like to have a concrete answer as soon as possible, but at least publicly there has been no great urgency from the league or legal side, so his status remains in limbo with the start of the regular season imminent.
