By many accounts, the wide receiver the Kansas City Chiefs selected in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft wasn’t the same one they got once the season began. Rashee Rice evolved from a consensus contested catch option to becoming a full-fledged post-catch maestro. It all happened amid struggles, progress and (eventually) a championship for the team.
Part of that was out of necessity, as Rice wasn’t ready for an expanded role early on. Head coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy simply had him do something simple, and he thrived. Near the end of the season, the SMU product began to show flashes of being able to possibly handle more.
Kansas City hopes that a more well-rounded Rice will take the field in 2024. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes is not only optimistic, but he expects it. Speaking to the media this weekend, the two-time NFL MVP said he’s seen Rice grow before his very eyes. Trucking along that path will help him and the entire offense as he enters year No. 2.
“He was making that progress at the end of last year, I think you saw that in the playoffs,” Mahomes said. “Now, he’s just continuing to get better and better. I think he came into camp this year even in better shape – you’ve been able to see how much explosion he has catching the football down the field. And then obviously when he catches the football underneath, he’s getting upfield fast. I think it’s going to help him a ton, just like it’s going to help Trav (Travis Kelce) having those speed guys stretching the field, and then they can really work in that intermediate/medium range and then they can catch the ball and get YAC after.”
Rice’s rookie year can be best summed up by splitting it into a few sections. From Weeks 1-5, he posted just one game with more than 50 receiving yards. Over the next five games, he averaged right around the 50 mark. After that, he truly came into his own. From Weeks 12-17, Rice averaged seven receptions and 86 yards per game. One could argue that he was the most productive pass-catcher the Chiefs had over that span.
That success continued into the playoffs, where Rice’s best performance came. In a Wild Card win over the Miami Dolphins, he was targeted 12 times and hauled in eight of those passes for 130 yards and a score. He then went on to play a supporting role throughout the remainder of the postseason as Kelce turned back the clock.
With another offseason for Kelce and Rice to jell, Mahomes should have a more fluid operation this season. The addition of Marquise “Hollywood” Brown figures to smooth things over even more, especially considering his skill set. In his lone offseason with the organization, Brown’s leadership and on-field play have left an impression on Rice already.
“Him and Hollywood, it’s like they’re just together all the time,” Mahomes said. “You always see those videos of them working out, [but] that’s not even all. They’re always together, they’re always working on routes. They push each other to be great, and it’s been cool to see his game evolve being around another vet receiver like that. I’m excited for him, man. He’s taken ownership of kind of being that older – he’s only one year in the league – but being one of the older guys in that room with all these young guys coming in, with the most experience. I’m excited for him to get out there and kind of show what he’s truly capable of.”
Don’t be mistaken: Rice still has to actually showcase that improvement in a game before Mahomes’s words become reality. According to Pro Football Focus, just under 52% of his 2023-24 targets came within 0-9 yards of the line of scrimmage. Another 27.5% were behind the line itself. Only 5.3% were deep targets, including a measly 3.2% mark in the playoffs. His rookie role, even with incremental progress factored in, wasn’t anything too crazy.
If there’s any merit to his quarterback’s comments, however, a new-and-improved Rice could help a potentially resurgent Chiefs offense strike fear into defenses once again.
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Publish date : 2024-07-28 08:30:00
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