Chiefs WR Rice 'sharp' in practice ahead of debut

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Rashee Rice, the Kansas City Chiefs' No. 1 receiver, performed good successful his archetypal signifier week since finishing his six-game suspension for violating the NFL's idiosyncratic behaviour policy, mounting himself up to play a sizable magnitude of snaps for Sunday's crippled against the Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

In his archetypal nationalist comments since rejoining his teammates, Rice shared Friday that helium spent overmuch of his clip during his suspension grooming successful Florida and Texas. He did his ain idiosyncratic workouts, sessions that included enactment connected his way running, his spot and information and his quickness.

During grooming campy -- adjacent earlier helium was suspended by the league -- Rice vowed to enactment successful signifier during his clip distant from his teammates.

"I tried to support myself successful the heat, conscionable similar [St. Joseph, Mo.]," Rice said Friday, referencing wherever the Chiefs behaviour their grooming camp. "I trained Monday done Friday and did immoderate benignant of workout connected Sunday to person my caput get acceptable to get progressive connected a crippled day."

In July, Rice was sentenced to 30 days successful jailhouse and 5 years' probation for his relation successful a multicar clang successful Dallas that near aggregate radical injured during the 2024 offseason.

When the NFL handed down its suspension, which Rice didn't entreaty aft the league's interior investigation, it voided a Sept. 30 proceeding earlier erstwhile national Judge Sue L. Robinson that was scheduled to beryllium held astatine league office successful New York. Rice, 25, pleaded blameworthy successful territory tribunal to 2 third-degree felony charges -- collision involving superior bodily wounded and racing connected a road causing bodily injury. He received deferred adjudication, and the lawsuit volition beryllium dismissed if helium completes probation.

"Honestly, it was a determination that was champion for not lone maine but for the squad truthful I could beryllium present close now," Rice said of his determination to not appeal. "All of that is over, truthful I'm acceptable [to play.] I learned that I emotion the crippled of football. It's astir apt my 2nd emotion [behind my family], but I was capable to recognize however beardown I americium mentally successful being capable to look a batch of adversity, astatine the time."

After observing Rice for 3 practices, manager Andy Reid is optimistic that his apical receiver tin regain his signifier sooner alternatively than later.

"He looked sharp," Reid said of Rice. "It's not a game, but what we asked him to do, helium did well. You tin archer he's successful bully shape. That's ever your interest erstwhile idiosyncratic misses a fewer weeks, due to the fact that it's antithetic erstwhile you're playing. But helium busted his tail, truthful present it's conscionable a substance of getting successful a crippled and getting reps. We'll spot however each that goes."

As a rookie successful 2023, Rice led the Chiefs' receivers with 79 receptions for 938 yards and 7 touchdown catches. Last year, helium suffered a season-ending wounded successful Week 4 aft helium tore the lateral collateral ligament successful his close knee. He had 24 catches for 288 yards and 2 touchdowns successful those 4 games.

Sunday's crippled volition beryllium the archetypal clip that Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown -- the team's apical trio of receivers -- volition play snaps together. Even without Rice, the Chiefs person averaged 31.6 points successful the past 3 games, a agelong since Worthy returned to the lineup aft helium recovered from a dislocated close enarthrosis injury.

"This week is truly big," Rice said. "I'm precise excited to beryllium retired determination to compete."

Rookie near tackle Josh Simmons, the Chiefs' 2025 first-round pick, missed this week of practices and is not expected to beryllium disposable for Sunday's game. Reid said Josh Simmons' lack was a "family situation."

Hours earlier past Sunday's crippled against the Detroit Lions, Simmons flew backmost to his hometown of San Diego for what the squad called a idiosyncratic reason. Reid connected Friday didn't springiness a timeline for erstwhile Simmons would beryllium backmost with the team.