Kansas City Chiefs OTAs: Rashee Rice has no restrictions, Josh Simmons showing progress among top Week 2 takeaways
The Kansas City Chiefs' Organized Team Activities (OTAs) continued this week with three more practice sessions. On Wednesday, media members got their second look at the team since Phase 3 of offseason workouts began.Last week's media practice session saw some interesting developments in the wide receiver pecking order, good news surrounding rookie first-round draft pick Josh Simmons, and some standout […]
The Kansas City Chiefs' Organized Team Activities (OTAs) continued this week with three more practice sessions. On Wednesday, media members got their second look at the team since Phase 3 of offseason workouts began.
Last week's media practice session saw some interesting developments in the wide receiver pecking order, good news surrounding rookie first-round draft pick Josh Simmons, and some standout moments leading to more opportunity for rookie WR Jalen Royals. This week, we've already got some positives regarding practice attendance.
It's important to remember that this is a marathon and not a race to the finish line. The team aims to lay a solid foundation for the 2025 NFL season during these voluntary workouts. It'll help them prepare for what's soon to come with mandatory minicamp, followed by training camp in late July and August.
While we won't get the complete picture until the pads come on in training camp, here are some of the most notable takeaways from today's practice session.
Chiefs WR Rashee Rice had no restrictions in the first practice observed by media
We know Rashee Rice was back at practice this week after missing the first week of OTAs due to illness. What we didn't realize was just how far along he was in his return from his knee injury. He participated in full at practice, without a brace on his knee. While it's clear he's still working his way back from injury regarding explosiveness and fluidity, I'm told he looked pretty spry during team drills. Chiefs OC Matt Nagy felt the same.
"Yeah, he's looked good," Nagy told reporters of Rice. "He's come back strong. He's been working hard to get to this point. Reminds me of last year, where he was going into this part of the year, where the second year, he just looks like he (is trending up)."
Reporters from several outlets posted clips of him going through individual drills at the start of practice.
Rice, virtually eight months removed from a significant knee injury with ligament damage, is participating fully in padless practices. It's a major testament how far modern medicine has come with NFL athletes.
It's unclear if Rice would be cleared to participate in padded, full-contact practices like those in July at training camp, but this is a great start for what's to come as things ramp up later this offseason.
Chiefs rookie LT Josh Simmons makes another step forward in injury recovery
When media members were at practice last Thursday, Chiefs OT Josh Simmons participated in the earliest portions of practice but did not participate in any of the 7-on-7, 9-on-7, or 11-on-11 team drills. All of that changed for the No. 32 overall draft pick on Wednesday.
As Chiefs HC Andy Reid indicated last week, while Simmons was expected to be a full participant in practice by training camp, there was a chance that Simmons could participate in team drills before OTAs let out. On Wednesday, Simmons took his first snaps as a full participant in team drills. Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck said he came out of it no worse for wear on the other side of practice.
"Yeah, well, the first thing he came out of it really well," Heck said. "First thing you can see is his explosive nature. I mean, everything he does is super quick. So we're working on fine-tuning techniques. He's able to do individual work within, you know, certain limits. So as we hone in on the techniques, we don't want to take away from his athleticism. That's one of his A-plus strengths."
This was a notable development as free agent OT Jaylon Moore and RT Jawaan Taylor were among those players limited during practice sessions on Wednesday.
Newer tight ends took advantage of Travis Kelce's absence
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce was absent from Wednesday's voluntary OTAs practice session, and in his absence, several young/new players took advantage during team drills.
With Kelce not at practice, former Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears TE Robert Tonyan stepped up. According to KSHB-TV producer Nick Jacobs, Tonyan was targeted on numerous occasions by multiple quarterbacks, including a no-look pass from starting QB Patrick Mahomes.
Tonyan could sneak onto the roster because second-year TE Jared Wiley is still limited as he works back from a 2024 ACL injury.
UDFA rookie TE Jake Briningstool also took advantage and secured one of the highlight plays of the day.
"TE Jake Briningstool made one of the plays of the day with a leaping catch up the seam despite tight coverage," Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen said on X after practice.
Nick Bolton was the defender in coverage on the play, with Mahomes throwing him the pass.
Some Chiefs absences to keep an eye on
While he was a full participant during the first week of OTAs, Jaylon Moore was among those limited in practice on Wednesday. According to multiple sources in attendance, Jared Wiley and Jawaan Taylor joined him as limited participants.
To this point, second-year OT Ethan Driskell has not participated in OTAs. The team is not required to report injuries now, as it is during the regular season, so it's unclear if he's simply not participating in the voluntary workouts or dealing with an injury. That's one to keep an eye on with depth issues already cropping up at the tackle position early in offseason workouts.
UDFA rookie TE Tre Watson was not present at Wednesday's OTAs practice, which was a notable development. Keep an eye on transactions as he's the type of player who could be waived with an injury designation if he gets hurt at this juncture of the year.
Trey Smith, of course, has yet to report for voluntary workouts as he seeks a long-term contract extension. This is mutually agreed to be in the best interest of Smith and the team. On one hand, he doesn't want to get hurt and risk losing out on a long-term contract. On the other hand, the team doesn't want him to get hurt and get stuck with paying him a fully guaranteed $23.4M on the franchise tag in 2025.
Tornado touches down near Kansas City Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium at Truman Sports Complex after Day 5 of OTAs
The Kansas City Chiefs had a different type of touchdown near GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
