Rashee Rice replacement options: Potential trade targets for Chiefs following receiver’s injury
The best-laid plans of mice and Super Bowl champs often go awry.
After struggling through inadequate receiver play in 2023, Kansas City entered the offseason with apparent designs on opening up the offense in ways we’d not seen since the days of Tyreek Hill. General manager Brett Veach signed Hollywood Brown in free agency and traded up in the first round to draft speedster Xavier Worthy.
The plan seemed clear: Worthy would be the top-off speedster, Brown would be an intermediate prowler with field-stretching potential, Rashee Rice would exploit defenses off the line and after the catch and Travis Kelce would do Travis Kelce things, making linebackers look foolish in space.
The best-laid plans of mice and Super Bowl champs often go awry.
After struggling through inadequate receiver play in 2023, Kansas City entered the offseason with apparent designs on opening up the offense in ways we’d not seen since the days of Tyreek Hill. General manager Brett Veach signed Hollywood Brown in free agency and traded up in the first round to draft speedster Xavier Worthy.
The plan seemed clear: Worthy would be the top-off speedster, Brown would be an intermediate prowler with field-stretching potential, Rashee Rice would exploit defenses off the line and after the catch and Travis Kelce would do Travis Kelce things, making linebackers look foolish in space.
The double-whammy took out the Chiefs’ most productive player, leaving a massive void on the roster as they attempt to three-peat. Even without catching a single pass in Week 4, Rice still leads all Kansas City players with 288 receiving yards (130 more than Kelce). With Rice and Brown down, K.C.’s receiver corps is led by Worthy, a rookie with speed still finding his way, Justin Watson, a declining JuJu Smith-Schuster, disappointing former second-round pick Skyy Moore and retread Mecole Hardman. A 34-year-old Kelce remains to draw attention, and fellow tight end Noah Gray has proved useful, but this pass-catching group does not have a lot of upside or proven reliability.
I’m not here to suggest the season will be sunk without Rice. It never is with the best player in the game still sporting a red No. 15. But if the Chiefs want a chance to lift a third-straight Lombardi, the offense needs help.
With the Nov. 5 trade deadline just over a month away, let’s look at a few fits, ranging from splash plays to veteran depth additions.
One caveat: We won’t get into the salary-cap machinations for each player’s situation. The Chiefs currently have $4.93 million in cap space, per Over The Cap. It would take some maneuvering from Veach to work out details, but we know teams can manipulate the cap if they genuinely desire to add a player. Let’s not let accounting get in the way of a good time, people!
