The competition for roles in the Chiefs wide receiver group took on a different look last week.
Kadarius Toney had knee surgery that could keep him out of the lineup into the regular season. While his return date remains unclear, he’s definitely out of practice and that offers more opportunities for others trying to make the team.
Rookie Rashee Rice is in that group and he said Monday that he’s pushing himself hard in order to win a spot alongside quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce as soon as possible.
“Honestly, I put pressure on myself every day just to come outside and come to practice and get better,” Rice said, via Ed Easton Jr. of USAToday.com. “But, it’s not necessarily pressure from Pat or Travis or anything like that. They [are] real welcoming, and they understand that I’m new to the system, so they’re just gonna help me, you know, catch up to their speed so I can be a [veteran] as soon as I can [be].”
Rice was a second-round pick, so the Chiefs were obviously intrigued by his talent and a strong showing over the rest of the summer could earn him an early role on offense whether Toney is around or not.
