Outlooks for every Chiefs receiver on the 53-man roster and practice squad after Rashee Rice's injury
The Kansas City Chiefs still don't know the full scope of WR Rashee Rice's knee injury, but they expect they won't have him on the field for some time. If you expect one singular player to pick up the slack in Rice's absence, Chiefs HC Andy Reid has news for you. Speaking to media members on Monday, […]
The Kansas City Chiefs still don't know the full scope of WR Rashee Rice's knee injury, but they expect they won't have him on the field for some time.
If you expect one singular player to pick up the slack in Rice's absence, Chiefs HC Andy Reid has news for you. Speaking to media members on Monday, Reid confirmed it will be a committee situation at the wide receiver position.
"We’ve got a good group of guys there that we can utilize," Reid said. "We normally spread the ball around and that’s what we’ll continue to strive to do.”
The injury to Rice leaves five healthy receivers on the 53-man roster. Remember, WR Hollywood Brown is on injured reserve and not expected to play during the regular season. The Chiefs also have three more receivers on the practice squad who can be promoted to the 53-man roster or elevated weekly.
Chiefs WR Xavier Worthy's role will only continue to expand
Worthy already had the second-most total yards (193) and the most total touchdowns (3) among wide receivers on offense. His role should only continue to snowball with more opportunities to go around. He says he's felt the natural growth of his role with every consecutive week.
"I feel like every week, I'm getting a bigger role and like a more stuff to do on my plate," He said.
Worthy also insists that there are no expectations for his role in Rice's absence.
"I'll just do whatever the coaches say," he said.
JuJu Smith-Schuster could see more work on his plate
As far as direct replacements for Rice that are already on the roster, Smith-Schuster is the one that makes the most sense. His role with the team during the 2022 NFL season wasn't too dissimilar to where Rice found success early this year.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid told reporters on Monday that he could be a player who sees a bigger share of the work with Rice out.
“Yeah, for sure," Reid said. "I think he (JuJu Smith-Schuster) – he’s played quite a bit up to this point and I think he’s in good shape. I don’t think that’s the problem. Pat’s (Mahomes) got a lot of trust in him and he’s still a good football player.”
Justin Watson
Watson has six receptions for 86 yards so far this season. He's actually been one of Patrick Mahomes' most trusted targets this year. Watson's 75% catch rate is actually the second-best among Chiefs receivers behind Rashee Rice in 2024. The only other player with more targets and a better catch rate is TE Noah Gray. I'm not sure that Watson will ever truly be a volume guy in the Kansas City offense, but he'll be good for a few key catches in each game this season from here on out.
Expect some more snaps for Mecole Hardman on offense
Hardman has played 14 total offensive snaps this season and hasn't received a single touch or target. The vast majority of his snaps have come on punt and kick returns for special teams. Expect a few packages of plays to now include Hardman on offense and for his role on special teams to be split with someone called up from the practice squad. Patrick Mahomes needs a receiver he can trust in the mix and I'd expect that Hardman is pretty high up on that list among players on the 53-man roster.
Chiefs WR Skyy Moore could be on thin ice
Moore has played 43 offensive snaps so far this season. He's been targeted twice and held without a single reception during that span. According to our friends at FOX 4 Kansas City, the latest incomplete pass drew the ire of someone that you don't want to piss off if you're a player on the Chiefs' roster.
Despite the report on Brett Veach, Chiefs HC Andy Reid insists that Moore is in good standing.
“Skyy’s (Moore) a good football player," Reid said. "He’s given us some good downs. He had the one drop yesterday on the third down (that) he knows he has to make, but he’s given us some good downs over these four games so we’re okay there.”
Justyn Ross feels like a boom-or-bust option
Ross was a highlight machine during training camp and the preseason, mostly working with the second-team offense. I think the biggest thing working against Ross is that he couldn't get lined up correctly multiple times, and even forced a timeout during the preseason. It's the main reason he's on the practice squad, and not the 53-man roster. I'm not sure you can add a player like that to the 53-man roster and realistically expect those issues to go away, even with a truncated game-by-game playbook.
Montrell Washington would be my choice for a practice squad elevation
Washington might offer the Chiefs the most of any potential elevation from the practice squad. Not only can he be a key piece on special teams as a multi-phase player, but he also has big-play potential on offense. He showcased it during the preseason, playing with Chris Oladokun and Ian Book as his quarterbacks.
He's not someone I would look at as a direct replacement for Rice, but he can certainly help the offense. He has the type of speed that I'd consider plugging him into the Hollywood Brown role opposite Xavier Worthy.
Expect Nikko Remigio to be elevated if Dave Toub gets his way
The Chiefs' special teams coordinator previously stated he would be "pounding the table" for WR Nikko Remigio to make the 53-man roster. He didn't get his way during roster cuts, but if both Skyy Moore and Mecole Hardman are asked to do more on offense, Remigio could see some action on special teams. At one point, Toub considered Remigio the team's top kick return specialist. He doesn't offer much value on offense as he didn't get much run with the first-team offense, let alone the second-team offense during training camp and the preseason.
Chiefs can realistically afford to acquire any of these 8 receivers in trade following Rashee Rice’s injury
The Kansas City Chiefs have some limitations with the wide receivers they can actually afford to acquire in trade.
