Rashee Rice takes early reps with Patrick Mahomes that won't do Chiefs any good

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice is working out with Patrick Mahomes, even as a potential suspension lingers for the wide receiver's sophomore season.
Kansas City Chiefs v Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs v Jacksonville Jaguars / Mike Carlson/GettyImages
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Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has hosted his wide receivers for informal workouts in his home state of Texas since 2019. Over the years, the workouts have slowly been integrated into the team's official offseason training program. The players practice sometime in the morning before having virtual meetings with Kansas City's coaches at noon.

The Chiefs wide receivers certainly need the extra practice after leading the league in dropped passes (44) in 2023. The team has expressed faith in wide receiver Kadarius Toney despite his disappointing season. The addition of Marquise Brown this offseason should help bolster the group, but questions continue to linger about wide receiver Rashee Rice's status for the 2024 season after his involvement in a street racing incident that caused a six-vehicle crash earlier this month.

When the Chiefs began their voluntary offseason program last Monday, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid clarified that Rice would continue participating in the team's virtual meetings, but his level of participation in the Chiefs' on-field practices wasn't made clear.

Rashee Rice practices with Patrick Mahomes amid legal issues

Rice cleared up any questions about his involvement in the offseason workouts on Wednesday. The second-year wideout posted a video to his official Instagram account on Wednesday that showed him catching passes at a high school football facility in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

The Chiefs' wide receiver room could look considerably different in the upcoming weeks, however.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes that the Chiefs should be prepared for Rice to miss "all or part of the 2024 season, whether it's because he's on the Commissioner Exempt list ... or whether he's suspended without pay if he pleads guilty to one ore more charges in the coming months."

Rice could be disciplined in accordance with the NFL's personal conduct policy. The league may opt for a significant suspension after Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs' speeding incident resulted in a fatal crash in 2021. Although Rice's actions didn't result in death, the crash left at least seven people injured.

The Chiefs currently hold the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, and Chiefs general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have suggested that the team may target wide receivers or offensive linemen in the draft. Fortunately for Kansas City, this year's draft class has considerable depth at the wide receiver and offensive tackle positions.

Kansas City wide receiver Rashee Rice landed in a dream scenario when he was selected in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Under the tutelage of head coach Andy Reid, Rice emerged as Mahomes' most reliable wide receiver and helped Kansas City solidify their standing as the league's next dynasty. Rice finished his rookie year with 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. He added 26 catches for 262 yards and a touchdown in four postseason games.

Rice was expected to build on a stellar rookie campaign and serve as one of the team's top wide receivers in 2024. If he's given the chance to do so, it looks like he'll be ready.

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