Kansas City Chiefs fans have hit a new level of frustration with Rashee Rice after the receiver broke the terms of his probation and was forced to serve jail time. Rice made this decision after having knee surgery that likely needed attention and rehab; the team isn't in a position to give. Rice's thoughtless actions continue to make it clear that KC can have zero realistic expectations or trust, turning up the pressure on Xavier Worthy heading into year three.
Already, Worthy was facing pressure based simply on the fact that the Chiefs had lost key pieces in the offseason. Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster both left in free agency, leaving Worthy in a clearly elevated role. Rice's poor decisions only drive home this fact and leave the door open for the pass-catcher to become the primary target at the position.
As things currently stand, there isn't a clear timeline for Rice to be healthy, and his ability to stay out of trouble is a complete guessing game. This makes it completely plausible that the regular season starts with Worthy having the most time working with Mahomes and finds his way into becoming the quarterback's primary option at the position.
Chiefs issues with Rashee Rice could elevate Xavier Worthy into primary role
Tyquan Thornton is currently the team's third starting receiver, with depth questions remaining after the starting trio. This makes it clear that the door is open for Worthy to step into a new role and become a featured weapon. This transition should be made a bit easier by the fact that the Chiefs have brought in Kenneth Walker III to bring balance to the offense. It is hard to see Kansas City receivers garnering the same level of attention and struggling to find open space as they did a season ago.
Last season's numbers for Worthy were underwhelming, with 532 receiving yards and a lone touchdown being far from the star numbers the pass-catcher was expected to put up. This is easily explained by the absence of Mahomes, missed time, and the fact that Worthy wasn't healthy due to a shoulder injury suffered in Week 1 that required offseason surgery.
Worthy has had a full offseason to get healthy and will benefit from the reps that Rice appears poised to miss. It will be interesting to watch whether Kansas City opts to add insurance at the position or simply doubles down on a big year from Worthy. Either way, there is no questioning that the receiver stands to benefit from the poor decisions of a player who appears to be on his way out the door.
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