KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs knew that Rashee Rice’s six-game suspension was coming down from the NFL this week.
That’s why they kept eight wide receivers on cutdown day.
Now, they believe they are better suited to deal with the absence of their No. 1 wide receiver than they were last season, when the Chiefs were suddenly without Rice for most of the season following an injury to his right knee.
JuJu Smith-Schuster came back to training camp in excellent shape, general manager Brett Veach said, and rookie Jalen Royals has a similar skillset. Throw in a healthy Marquise Brown, who was out most of last season because of a shoulder injury, and the Chiefs think they can weather the loss of Rice until his return Oct. 19 for a game against the Raiders.
“It wasn’t a surprise,” Veach told a small group of reporters Thursday. “It was communicated to us, and we were certainly made aware a few days prior to cutdown day that this was a better-than-50 percent shot that this would get resolved.”
Rice pleaded guilty last month to two third-degree felony charges of collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. As part of his plea agreement from the March 2024 crash on a Dallas highway, prosecutors said, Rice also received a sentence of five years of deferred probation and 30 days in jail as a condition of his probation.
The NFL had to wait until the legal process was finished before launching its own internal investigation. There was a hearing set for Sept. 30 before former federal judge Sue L. Robinson to determine the length and terms of Rice’s suspension, but that voided when Rice and his team agreed to the six-game banishment.
Along with the Chargers game in Brazil, Rice will miss a Super Bowl rematch with the Eagles on Sept. 14 at Arrowhead Stadium; a Sunday night trip to the Meadowlands to face the Giants; a high-profile matchup with Lamar Jackson and the Ravens on Sept. 28; a game against Jacksonville the following Monday night; and a Sunday night showdown with the Lions.
“I think Rashee is a top-10 receiver. I think he’s a legit stud, a star in this league, and it’s going to be awfully hard to do what he can do, and I don’t think we have anybody like Rashee,” Veach acknowledged. “There are few players who can punish tacklers like Rashee can at that position.”
Indeed, while Rice has the speed to take the top off a defense, he is at his best catching balls near the line of scrimmage and then getting up the field. The 28-year-old Smith-Schuster, who has more size and experience on his side, can play some of the same roles in what is considered a complex Kansas City offense.
“JuJu to his credit, I think, he’s looked better this camp than the last camp he was here,” Veach said. “That’s a good thing. We’re getting JuJu fresh at the beginning of the season.”
As for Royals, the fourth-round pick out of Utah State has been sidelined by knee tendinitis late in training camp, an injury that could extend into the start of the season. But the Chiefs are hopeful of him returning soon, and the 15.2-yards per catch and 21 touchdowns he had over his final two seasons in college provide a peek at his game-changing ability.
“His athletic ability, we think he’ll ascend and be a good player,” Veach said.
The Chiefs have been similarly careful with Brown, who missed time in training camp and did not play in any of their preseason games because of an ankle injury. They lost him in their preseason opener a year ago and he did not return until the playoffs, and even then he could only provide a fraction of what he can do when healthy.
Then there is also second-year pro Xavier Worthy, who may have benefited the most from Rice and Brown being absent last season. He was forced into a starring role alongside star tight end Travis Kelce and flourished, especially in the playoffs, where Worthy had 19 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns in three games.
Other wide receivers on the roster include return specialist Nikko Remigio, Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee.
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