The Kansas City Chiefs pulled off a comeback win on Sunday afternoon against the division rival Los Angeles Chargers, improving their record to 4-0 in the process. Early in the game, however, the Chiefs suffered a big loss: star wide receiver Rashee Rice left the game with a knee injury when Patrick Mahomes’ helmet struck the receiver’s leg while Mahomes was trying to make a tackle.
Rice was hauled to the locker room and quickly ruled out. Head coach Andy Reid wouldn’t give many details about the injury, but he said it is “not good.” Rice is feared to have torn his ACL, via ESPNwhich would leave Kansas City with an absolutely massive hole to fill in their offense for the rest of the season.
Through the first three games of the season, Rice led the Chiefs in catches (24), targets (29), receiving yards (288) and receiving touchdowns (2). He drew a goal on 33.7% of the bosses’ attempts — the second most in the NFLvia Tru Media. His targets per route run rate of 34.1%, meanwhile, ranked first among the 78 players who ran at least 75 routes through Week 3.
There are a number of options available to the Chiefs to replace him, but not that many of them are appealing. We’ll go over the picks based on a few different categories: players on the Chiefs’ current roster, available free agents and trade targets.
We will focus mostly on players who can serve as short-area rush targets or slot receivers, as that has been Rice’s primary role since his elevation into the starting lineup.
Current Roster
Like us wrote earlier this seasonthe roll Rice filled this year was largely one that used to go to Kelce. Asking him to pick it up for the entire regular season would be a challenge, especially since the Chiefs openly want to preserve his body for the playoffs. It wouldn’t be wise to put that on his plate — even if he took it back on Sunday.
Worthy is the next most logical contender simply because the Chiefs felt strongly enough about his talent to move up in the first round to get him, and also gave him a more significant early-season role than they gave Rice last year. He has a much different body type than Rice and is more of a burner, but maybe they could shift more targets in his direction.
Smith-Schuster seems the most likely candidate to take more snaps. He played a form of the Rice role when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in 2022. He doesn’t have as much in the tank now as he did back then thanks to various injuries, but Mahomes trusts him. Moore, meanwhile, is still hanging around on the roster and was a second-round pick. If there was ever an opportunity for him to step up, this would be it.
Justin Watson is the most likely receiver to pick up more snaps, and tight end Noah Gray could also see increased usage. But they are not really suitable for the role that Rice played.
Free Agents
Not surprisingly, the pickings are slim on the free agent market. We are a few weeks into the season; anyone that teams felt good about would be on a roster now. Thomas was once arguably the best receiver in football, but injuries have slowed him down over the past several years. The Chiefs could try to recapture the magic, but there probably isn’t much left. Renfrow, meanwhile, is a different type of slot receiver than Rice, and therefore seems unlikely to be a solution to this particular problem.
Business Purposes
The real business goals will become clearer as we get closer to the deadline.
Bourne is still working his way back from a torn ACL, but the Patriots have some younger wide receivers they may want to prioritize, and maybe they’ll be willing to part ways with him when he’s ready to roll. Cooper has already been bandied about as a potential trade candidate come the deadline, and he’d be a great fit if the Chiefs could actually swing it. Woods is growing there in age, but he played a similar role to that Rice holds in the past, when he was with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Raiders have reportedly, after all, provided Adamsand the Chiefs should at least put in a call. (Via ESPNthey won’t.) He remains one of the best receivers in football, and we know he can handle this type of role. Pitts is an out-of-the-box option, but he’s clearly de-prioritized in Atlanta, he can play in the slot, and he can potentially be Kelce’s successor at tight end. He might cost too much to be worth it, though, especially given his decreased production since his rookie season.
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