Chiefs ANNOUNCE SHOCKING WR CUT Amid Rashee Rice News
The Kansas City Chiefs’ last 24 hours couldn’t have gone any better, as they defeated the red-hot Detroit Lions 30-17 on "Sunday Night Football" to get back to .500 at 3-3. Now, the team is welcoming back one of their star players on Monday.
Third-year wide receiver Rashee Rice’s six-game suspension officially concluded following the Chiefs’ win over the Lions. He is now expected to play in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders—a massive boost for quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense.
During his weekly Monday Zoom interview with reporters, head coach Andy Reid discussed Rice’s return and the vision he has for integrating him early on, given that Rice was unable to practice with his teammates or receive coaching during the suspension.
Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on the field during an NFL game
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"I know he's been working like crazy," Reid said. "The rule states that we can't work with him as coaches, but I know he's been working out hard and I think it's just a matter of getting him back in the swing. I gotta see it to kind of work through it. But I know he's in good shape—that's the one thing I do know.
"I think that'll be important for him coming back in there, getting with Patrick [Mahomes] and kind of getting on the same page and that whole deal. We'll just see how all that works out. We haven't put the game plan in yet."
Rashee Rice burst onto the scene as a rookie in 2023, recording 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. He got off to a fast start in 2024 before tearing his ACL in Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Rice was suspended for violating the league’s conduct policy in 2024, a suspension that carried over to the start of this season. He will now join a wide receiver room that includes Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and Tyquan Thornton.
Two Big Reasons For Cubs Fans To Stay Optimistic For 2026
It is easy to focus on the negatives of the Chicago Cubs' season, especially after the bitter taste of losing a game five in the playoffs, pointing the finger at every mistake that led to going home instead of playing for the National League Pennant.
However, it's important to remember that the team had a great season even though it didn't end where they wanted it to.
The Cubs made the playoffs after missing the previous four. This was also their first trip to the NL Divisional Series round since '17 and their first 90+ win season since '18. Good things happened this year that the team can build on for 2026, hopefully avoiding the same spot when October rolls back around.
Young Talent All Over the Place
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Cade Horton easily takes the cake for the up-and-coming talent that is on this Cubs' roster. It was so disheartening that he didn't get to take the mound in these playoffs after his breakout rookie season, but he will be back next year.
The way he improved throughout the year is something to truly get excited about. Horton finished the season 11-4 with a 2.67 ERA and nearly 100 strikeouts.
Even though Pete Crow-Armstrong had been ridiculed lately, it is crucial to remember a couple of things. 1) PCA is only 23 years old, and this was only his second full year in the majors. 2) He had 35 stolen bases (by far the most on the team), complemented by 31 homers and 95 RBI. 3) PCA is a deadly defender.
Crow-Armstrong and Horton aren't the only young guns on this team, however. There is also Matt Shaw. This was Shaw's rookie season as well at 23 years old. He was a nightmare for opposing bats with his ability to make plays at third base, and even though he started slow swinging a bat, he found his groove towards the end of the season with a .429 slugging percentage in his last 30 games.
Owen Caissie might not have finished the year on the roster, but everyone remembers him. He made his debut this year as well as the best guy in the Cubs' farming system. Even though he didn't last long with the Cubs before being sent back to Triple-A, he showed signs of brilliance. A stacked outfield has kept him down in the minors for far too long, and surely his time is coming.
A Very Strong Bullpen
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Craig Counsell called his relievers "out getters" because that is what they did. Four pitchers were used in more than 50 games this season, who all had an ERA under 3.00 — Brad Keller, Daniel Palencia, Drew Pomeranz, and Caleb Theilbar.
These four came through in a big way for the Cubs in the playoffs. Thielbar didn't allow a single run in five games, with only two hits and five strikeouts by the end of it. And Pomeranz and Keller both had a 1.5 ERA in over 11 combined innings with 11 strikeouts.
It is easy to focus on the negative when things didn't turn out as the organization had hoped, but there were many positive developments this year. They easily had plenty of time where they looked like they could potentially make it to the World Series. Heck, the team stretched the NLDS to a five-game series without an ace in the starting rotation.
This team could look similar next season and, with a few tweaks, could be playing late in October.
