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This is turning out to be an eventful offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs, and not all for good reason. Wide receiver Rashee Rice has been a focal point following the high-speed crash in Dallas. He has claimed responsibility via his attorney. With that much settled, there is an expectation for the penalty to be substantial.
Rice is facing eight charges as a result of the crash which damaged six vehicles.
Chiefs’ Rashee Rice Facing ‘Multigame’ Suspension
Rashee Rice Would Miss Several Weeks
“Rashee Rice’s looming legal issues and potential NFL discipline could push the Chiefs to look even harder at a wide receiver early in this draft,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on April 22. “On top of the legal issues and lawsuit he is facing, Rice is expected to be disciplined by the NFL, resulting in at least a multigame suspension.
“Kansas City, which owns the No. 32 pick, would have been expected to look for wide receiver help even before Rice’s troubles. The team had the most drops in the league (38) last season. Now, it sounds like it’s the right draft to add a wideout.”
Rice emerged as the team’s top option at wideout last season. He finished the year with 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns.
He didn’t even see 60% of the offense’s snaps until Week 8.
That suggests an even bigger year was on the table with Rice posting a 53-633-4 line from that point on. Now, the Chiefs might be hoping to get Rice back that far into the season. The ultimate outcome unclear amid severe charges.
“Rice … is facing one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury,” Schefter explained in his report. “He turned himself into police last week at the regional jail in DeSoto, Texas, before being released on bond.”
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach spoke optimistically, albeit in a vague manner, about the still-developing situation and how it will impact their draft strategy.
Glad to see Rashee Rice is trying to put all the off the field noise to the side and get back in football mode.
Also glad to see he seemingly hasn’t lost a step on the field, that was one of my first concerns when I heard he was in an accident.
: “doub11e_r” on IG pic.twitter.com/4XTrVCIdiu
— Shawn O’Brate (@SportsGuyShawnO) April 18, 2024
Brett Veach Addresses Rashee Rice’s Impact on Draft Plans
“We spend a great deal of time on all these players. And I think we have to look at each individual case um independently and just work through it,” Veach told reporters on April 19. “I think maybe subconsciously maybe it factors a little.
“I think that when we stick to our process and trust the guys that we have around us – we have a great coaching staff, we have a great personnel staff, we have a great security team. So we really lean on those guys. And at the end of the day, I trust the people around me. They spend a lot of time working on the player and his ability to come in here and be a big good person, be a good teammate. And so I think we try to stick to what we’ve done in the past.”
This is a good draft to need a wideout. Several high-graded options are expected to be on the board when the Chiefs go on the clock at No. 32 overall.
“There will always be some things that factor into ultimately what we decide to do with a guy,” Veach said. “But I think sticking to our process – and we’ve done this now for a little bit here – and over the long run it’s provided us a good blueprint to work off of.”
More must-reads:
- NFC East check-in: Most, least improved position groups post-draft
- Former 49ers quarterback makes feelings on Brock Purdy clear
- The 'AP First-Team All-Pro tight ends' quiz
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