Kansas City’s preparations for the 2025/26 NFL season have been disrupted by uncertainty surrounding Rashee Rice, their star wide receiver who could find himself suspended after off-field legal drama – which takes another twist as he skips Chiefs‘ practice.
With a looming suspension still unresolved following his decision to plead guilty his involvement in a high-speed, multi-vehicle collision in Dallas in 2024, the third-year wideout might not even be featuring in Week 1.
That’s despite his value in the team’s victory at Super Bowl LVIII in 2023/24, and his apparent emergence as a starter before his season-ending injury in the early stages of last year’s campaign.
And with the 25-year-old skipping Wednesday’s practice session on August 6, concerns are escalating about his availability as the team seeks to maintain its Super Bowl-caliber offense.
“Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is in the training tent and won’t be practicing Wednesday. Have yet to see Hollywood Brown (ankle) yet,” Matt Derrick posted on X.com, formerly known as Twitter.
Do Kansas City have a wide receiver saviour? How Jalen Royals could rescue Chiefs
Rice is currently awaiting the outcome of any NFL action after pleading guilty to felony to collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury, earning 30 days in jail and five years’ probation.
The league has yet to issue a formal statement, but reports suggest a suspension of five to seven games is likely – a damaging blow to Patrick Mahomes‘ wide receivers corps.
That only gets worse with the news that Marquise “Hollywood” Brown continues to recover from an ankle injury sustained in training camp, but there is some potential hope on the horizon.
Rookie Jalen Royals has begun to distinguish himself in training camp as the fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft enters the professional scene following 1080 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns in his last full NCAA season in 2023/24.
Even an injury-shortened 2024 season didn’t slow his production as he notched 834 yards and six scores in just seven games and he could prove to be more than just a capable back-up to Xavier Worthy.
His NFL Combine performance reinforced his potential, with a 4.32-second 40-yard dash and an 82 Next Gen score-ranking sixth among all wide receivers and the Chiefs’ director of player personnel drew comparisons between Royals and Rice.
“His game is very similar to Rashee‘s…,” Ryne Nutt told reporters. “(Run after the catch) is a big part of our offense.
“That’s something we look for in receivers. We look for speed… We look for strength, and he has that. So we kind of thought they were similar in that respect.”
The Chiefs will open their preseason against the Arizona Cardinals on Friday, August 9 with the game taking place at the State Farm Stadium. They’ll then take on the Seattle Seahawks (Aug. 15) and Chicago Bears (Aug. 22) before a Week 1 clash with the Los Angeles Chargers (September 5).
Read the full article here
