Rashee Rice is the reinforcements the Chiefs need at WR

Will Andy Reid buck the trend and get the rookie on the field more?

The Chiefs offense is not what we’ve been accustomed to in the Patrick Mahomes era.

Now, let’s be cautious to not exaggerate. Even after last night’s anemic (in the red zone, at least) performance against a horrific Broncos defense, Kansas City is one of the better offenses in the league in EPA (Expected Points Added) per play, meaning they are moving the ball consistently.

(hat tip to rbsdm.com for the statistics, it’s a marvelously useful site)

Of course, Chiefs fans aren’t used to “one of the better offenses in the league.” They’re used to an offense that is either the best in the NFL or at worst, 2nd or MAYBE 3rd. That’s become the norm (and then the expectation) during the Patrick Mahomes era. And this year, thanks in part to self-inflicted errors, in part bad luck, and in part some growing pains and/or execution issues as new personnel gets used to one another, they haven’t been that.

One of the primary concerns voiced by the fanbase has been the wide receiver room. With the departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Chiefs’ pass catchers have taken a step backwards in terms of consistency and reliability. While there’s more going on here than “no one is getting open” (as ever, there are multiple layers to the issue), the offense has definitely missed Juju’s reliability against zone, contested catches against man coverage, and on 3rd down.

Kadarius Toney hasn’t emerged as the WR1 the team wanted him to be. Skyy Moore hasn’t looked markedly different from his rookie season. MVS has taken a step backwards in involvement/targets. The most reliable receiver has arguably been Justin Watson down the field. This has led to a great deal of speculation as to whether the Chiefs will try and snag a pass catcher in the trade market.

I’d argue that a very good (at least partial) solution is already on the roster in the form of rookie Rashee Rice.

The young receiver out of SMU has become something of a fan favorite (perhaps even more than Justyn Ross, who may be the topic of an entirely separate article down the line) despite being on a relatively limited snap count early in the season. And on snaps like the one above, it’s obvious why. Rice’s explosion with the ball in his hands and physical running style has led to extra yards after the catch on multiple occasions.

But he’s shown more than that as a receiver, even with a small sample size early in his career. As Andy Reid acknowledged last night, Rice’s playing time has gone up over the weeks. But he’s earned more. Let’s talk about what Rice has done to earn more time on the field, even as he’s still learning on the fly.