Andy Reid didn’t fully rule out Rashee Rice for the rest of the season, but the Kansas City Chiefs could be in the market for a third midseason trade for a wide receiver in three years.
Rice is still undergoing tests, Reid told reporters Monday, one day after the receiver took an inadvertent hit to the knee from his own quarterback.
Reid said Rice would not be available for next week’s home game against the New Orleans Saints on “Monday Night Football,” but he stopped short of any further declarations. ESPN and NFL Network reported late Sunday that the Chiefs feared Rice tore his ACL.
“We’re still testing him, so I don’t have a definite for you right now,” Reid said Monday.
In the first quarter of a 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, Patrick Mahomes threw an interception to cornerback Kristian Fulton, whose 29-yard return ended when Rice came up from behind him and poked the ball loose. Mahomes was simultaneously trying to make a tackle as Rice forced the fumble, and the quarterback crashed into Rice’s right knee.
Rice, 24, had to be helped off the field, and he was eventually carted to the locker room.
Rice is the Chiefs’ leading receiver in catches (24), targets (29), yards (288) and touchdowns (two, tied with Xavier Worthy).
Reid said it’s on more than just Worthy, the team’s first-round pick last April, to step up in Rice’s absence.
“We’ve got guys here that have experience of playing in the game,” Reid said. “It’s not that he’s the only one, doesn’t have to be the only one. We’ve got a good group of guys there that we can utilize, and we normally spread the ball around and that’s what we’ll continue to strive to do.”
The Chiefs are likely to give more playing time to veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster and former second-round pick Skyy Moore. But Kansas City isn’t unfamiliar with adding new receivers midseason.
In October 2022, the Chiefs made a deal with the New York Giants before the trade deadline to land wide receiver Kadarius Toney. Last year, they obtained former Chief Mecole Hardman from the New York Jets. Toney is no longer with the team, while Hardman has taken 14 snaps on offense this season and has not been targeted.
“It would depend on who the guy is,” Reid said. ” If he’s got experience in the offense, then it’s not too bad. But it takes somebody a little bit of time to get himself involved and get the terminology down. But it’s a lot easier now than it is during training camp when they have to learn a gazillion plays. Here, they just have the game week to learn and getting on the same page with the quarterback and the timing and all that, that’s a bigger issue.”
The trade deadline is Nov. 5.
–Field Level Media
