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Chiefs Fear ACL Tear For WR Rashee Rice

September 29th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Ely Allen

The Chiefs have enjoyed a hot start to the season from wide receiver Rashee Rice. The team’s top wideout exited today’s game after an ugly-looking knee injury, and according to James Palmer of Bleacher Report, there’s concern that he suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The 24-year-old will undergo an MRI Monday to find out the severity of his injury.

Rice is in his second season as a pro out of SMU. As a second-round rookie, Rice caught 79 balls for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. His reception and yardage numbers were second on the team, while he led Kansas City in receiving touchdowns.

So far, in 2024, Rice has dominated the receiving numbers in Kansas City. Through three games, Rice has 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns, all best on the team. The next closest player on the team is rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy who has nine catches for 154 yards and two sccores. Rice has been so good through three weeks, in fact, that he came into Week 4 with the second-most receiving yards in the NFL behind only Nico Collins of the Texans.

With a Super Bowl ring as the result of his rookie season, it would seem that the transition has been an easy one for Rice. The real learning experiences for him have come off the field. Three separate events this offseason made it appear as though Kansas City may have been in danger of starting the season without Rice.

It started with Rice’s involvement in a hit-and-run incident that resulted in eight felony charges. He was believed to have been driving 119mph and fled the scene following a six-car accident. Soon after, a report emerged indicating Rice, or a member of his party, fired gunshots into an empty car belonging to an SMU basketball player. That incident occurred while Rice was still at SMU. But the NFL can factor it into its investigation. Finally, in May, Rice was accused of punching a photographer in the face at a Dallas nightclub, though the accuser asked police not to file charges.

Initially, the Chiefs were bracing for a league suspension for Rice, but as the regular season approached, it began to seem as though any decisions on a suspension would be delayed as the league made the decision to wait for “the conclusion of the legal process.” Ultimately, it became clear that Rice was not expected to serve any suspension in 2024.

Rice’s injury today was the result of a turnover. When Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton intercepted Patrick Mahomes and began returning the ball downfield, Rice pursued the defender. When attempting to knock the ball out of Fulton’s hands, Rice was cut down at the knees by Mahomes, who was attempting to tackle Fulton.

Losing Rice is a big blow to the Chiefs offense. Without Rice for the game, tight end Travis Kelce had a resurgent performance after a slow start to the year. If Rice joins free agent addition Marquise Brown on injured reserve, Mahomes will be targeting a group of weapons that consists of Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, and Mecole Hardman. While none of those names jump off the page as scary x-factors, Mahomes has won Super Bowls with similar receiving corps.

If it is confirmed with tomorrow’s MRI that Rice is out for the year with an ACL tear, his absence may be extended even past his recovery. With plenty of time before Rice will potentially play again, the legal process for Rice’s offseason trouble will have time to play out. If the NFL decides to levy a suspension as a result, Rice’s absence could be extended by three to six games or more.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/26/24

September 26th, 2024 at 6:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s practice squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: LB Abraham Beauplan

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: OL Braeden Daniels

Miami Dolphins

Fortson will make his way back to Missouri, doing so after the Dolphins released him in August. Fortson combined to catch 14 passes for 155 yards and four touchdowns during the 2021 and ’22 Chiefs seasons, but he spent the 2023 campaign on IR. An effort to latch on in Miami did not pan out, but the Chiefs have the reserve tight end back as insurance. Fortson, 28, initially caught on with the Chiefs as a 2019 UDFA.

Ingram will fill the same purpose, switching spots with Kareem Hunt, whom the Chiefs bumped up to their 53-man roster this week. Waiving Ingram to make room for the Hunt reunion, Kansas City circled back to the former Arizona draftee. Ingram joins UDFA Emani Bailey as RBs on the Chiefs’ P-squad.

Chiefs Promote Kareem Hunt To Active Roster, Waive RB Keaontay Ingram

September 24th, 2024 at 4:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

Kareem Hunt‘s time on the Chiefs’ practice squad has not lasted long. The veteran running back has been promoted from the practice squad to the active roster, as noted by ESPN’s Field Yates.

Hunt worked out with Kansas City last week in the wake of Isiah Pacheco‘s fractured fibula. The latter is on injured reserve and facing a lengthy recovery period as a result. A practice squad deal was quickly worked out with Hunt, though, and he is now in position to handle a role in the team’s backfield.

The 29-year-old spent the past five seasons in Cleveland, including a 2023 campaign which saw him on the free agent market at the beginning of the season. Once Nick Chubb went down, Hunt returned to Cleveland and remained with the team to close out the campaign. He only logged a 31% snap share last year, however, and his 3.0 yards per carry average was the lowest of his career. That helped explain his lengthy stay on the open market this year.

Hunt began his career in Kansas City, earning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2017 after leading the league in rushing. He was released midway through the following campaign after video of an incident in which he pushed and kicked a woman became public. When reflecting on the recent reunion between team and player, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said the organization was satisfied Hunt had earned a second chance with the organization after his time in Cleveland did not include any off-field incidents.

Kansas City is without Clyde Edwards-Helaire for the time being after began the campaign on the reserve/NFI list. His absence, coupled with that of Pacheco, led to a reliance on undrafted rookie Carson Steele and pass-catching veteran Samaje Perine during the Chiefs’ Week 3 win. Hunt will look to carve out a role alongside that pair.

In a corresponding move, Keaontay Ingram has been waived. The former sixth-rounder was promoted from the practice squad following Pacheco’s injury, and he made his season debut on Sunday. Ingram did not see any touches, though, and he logged only five special teams snaps. He is unlikely to be claimed off waivers, and presuming he goes through unclaimed he will be a prime candidate to return to Kansas City’s taxi squad.

Chiefs HC Andy Reid Addresses Kareem Hunt Reunion

September 22nd, 2024 at 3:57pm CST by Adam La Rose

In the wake of Isiah Pacheco‘s broken fibula, the Chiefs turned to a familiar face in the backfield. Kareem Hunt signed with Kansas City shortly after a workout.

Hunt joined the team’s practice squad, a move which has become increasingly popular in recent years amongst veterans who land in-season deals. The 29-year-old was not called up to the active roster as a gameday elevation, meaning he will not suit up tonight. Still, he figures to have a role in short order on his former team, one which released him in 2018 following the emergence of a video detailing a domestic violence incident.

Hunt quickly landed a new opportunity the following season when he signed with his hometown Browns. The former third-rounder spent five seasons in Cleveland, similarly inking a deal ahead of Week 3 last season once Nick Chubb was lost due to injury. He rushed for nine touchdowns in 2023 but logged the lowest snap share (31%) of his career, making it little surprise the team moved on. With his off-field issues in the past, the Chiefs authorized a comeback while eyeing backfield depth.

“We just thought he needed a change of scenery and get some help and take care of business there and we felt like he did that,” head coach Andy Reid said when addressing the Hunt deal (via ESPN’s Adam Teicher). “He did a nice job in Cleveland, and we talked to the people there and there were no issues there, so we felt OK by bringing him back… It looks like he’s grown up. I think people deserve a second chance if they’ve done something to work on the first part of it.”

Pacheco is on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least four games. It would come as no surprise if he were to miss more time than that, however, so a committee approach could be in order for the foreseeable future. Clyde Edwards-Helaire is on the on the reserve/non-football illness list and cannot be activated until at least Week 5. Kansas City will therefore rely heavily on undrafted rookie Carson Steele and veteran pass-catcher Samaje Perine until Pacheco returns.

Hunt could emerge as a figure in that respect as well once he finds himself on the active roster. The Toledo product led the league in rushing yards as a rookie, and he topped 1,100 scrimmage yards twice more. His efficiency has taken a dip recently, so expectations will be tempered during his second Chiefs stint. An impressive season could nevertheless boost his market on another Kansas City deal or an outside deal during the spring.

Chiefs To Bench LT Kingsley Suamataia

September 22nd, 2024 at 7:51am CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs expressed confidence in Kingsley Suamataia as Patrick Mahomes‘ blindside protector this offseason, but after a rough day against the Bengals, the defending champions are changing course.

Suamataia did not make it out of Week 2 as Kansas City’s left tackle starter, and the team will turn to his backup tonight against the Falcons. Wanya Morris will start tonight, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Suamataia had beaten out the 2023 third-round pick in training camp, but the Chiefs will sit the struggling rookie.

Trey Hendrickson beat Suamataia for two sacks, leading to the Chiefs parking the BYU product on their final drive Sunday. Andy Reid said both Suamataia and Morris would play against the Falcons. With the news of Suamataia’s benching emerging, it will be interesting to see what the split between the two — who appear to again be battling for the job — will be in Week 3.

Kansas City traded up one spot (via San Francisco) for Suamataia in the second round, climbing to No. 63 to land a player connected to the team late in the pre-draft process. The Chiefs did not re-sign 2023 stopgap Donovan Smith, whom the team had brought in after letting Orlando Brown Jr. defect to the Bengals during last year’s free agency period. Smith, 31, remains a free agent.

The team had wanted to extend Brown in 2022, with some in the building growing frustrated after the 2021 trade pickup turned down a six-year extension offer. Brown had cited insufficient guarantees as the reason he passed on the proposal, and while he played well to help the 2022 Chiefs to a championship, the team passed on a second franchise tag. This led to the team paying Jawaan Taylor, who surfaced as a left tackle option before the team quickly installed the ex-Jaguars starter at his natural RT position. Taylor led the NFL in penalties last season, but the $20MM-per-year player remains in place as Kansas City’s other starting tackle.

Morris started four games in place of an injured Smith last season; the Oklahoma alum surrendered a pair of sacks and 27 pressures when on the field, per PFF, resulting in a 55.6 overall grade. The Chiefs then prioritized a potential upgrade, drafting the 21-year-old Suamataia, a 2023 second-team All-Big 12 blocker who then beat out Morris for the gig after a spring and summer competition.

It certainly should not be discounted Suamataia regroups and reclaims the job he initially won, but for now, the Chiefs will turn to Morris after their offense struggled in Week 2.

Chiefs Sign RB Keaontay Ingram From Practice Squad

September 18th, 2024 at 12:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kareem Hunt‘s return to Kansas City may not come with an immediate return to the team’s active roster. The Chiefs first chose to bump up one of their current practice squad running backs.

Keaontay Ingram is now on the defending champions’ 53-man roster, while Hunt is officially on their practice squad. Ingram joins Samaje Perine and rookie UDFA Carson Steele on Kansas City’s active roster.

Initially catching on with the Chiefs’ P-squad in late November of last year, Ingram was originally a Cardinals sixth-round pick in 2022. The Cards selected Ingram in Steve Keim‘s final draft as GM but waived him midway through last season, Monti Ossenfort‘s first running the front office. Ingram played in 20 games with Arizona, logging 62 carries for 134 yards and a touchdown in limited duty. Ingram has not played in a regular-season game as a Chief.

Hunt can be elevated from the practice squad up to three times, but as a vested veteran, the former rushing champion can move back and forth to the Chiefs’ P-squad and 53-man roster — should the team take this route after the elevation period ends — up until the day after the trade deadline. Players of all experience levels are subject to waivers following that point. Hunt, however, should probably be expected to move to the Chiefs’ 53-man roster and stay once his elevation period ends.

The Chiefs are in this bind because Clyde Edwards-Helaire landed on the reserve/non-football illness list before Isiah Pacheco‘s fibula fracture. Andy Reid said the team’s starter is undergoing surgery today. Pacheco is aiming to return at some point during the season’s second half. Additionally, the Chiefs signed linebacker Cole Christiansen from their practice squad and officially announced Pacheco’s IR move.

Chiefs To Bring Back Kareem Hunt

September 17th, 2024 at 10:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Chiefs’ first partnership with Kareem Hunt ended badly, the former rushing champion resurfaced on Kansas City’s radar in light of Isiah Pacheco‘s injury. The Chiefs are expected to move fast here.

Hunt is on track to return to the Chiefs, according to veteran reporter Jordan Schultz. Both Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are out of the picture for the Chiefs, who exited Sunday’s Week 2 escape with rookie UDFA Carson Steele and recently added passing-down back Samaje Perine rounding out their RB room.

This will be a practice squad agreement, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets. The Cowboys made this move with Dalvin Cook recently. Hunt had resided in free agency since his latest Browns contract expired. After the Browns brought Hunt back when Nick Chubb went down in Week 2 of last year, the Chiefs will take the same route due to the Pacheco development.

While Chiefs fans may remember Hunt as a burgeoning top-tier running back, he has not displayed that form in a while. He finished last season with a 3.0-yard average per carry (on 135 totes) while teaming with Jerome Ford to replace Chubb. Hunt’s minus-101 rushing yards over expected doubled as the NFL’s third-worst number (per Next Gen Stats) last season.

The two-year Chiefs starter had operated effectively as a Chubb complementary piece in Cleveland, having sought a more lucrative contract in 2022. Hunt, 29, had requested a trade that year but did not end up being moved. The Browns had planned to move on in 2023, only to see Chubb’s injury change the team’s thinking. Despite Chubb landing on the reserve/PUP list due to the severe knee injury he sustained last September, the Browns did not bring Hunt back.

Hunt won the 2017 rushing title as a rookie, and the former third-round pick was on his way to a better 2018 season before video surfaced of him pushing a 19-year-old woman to the ground and kicking her while she was on the floor. This incident occurred during the 2018 offseason at a Cleveland hotel. The Chiefs kept Hunt rostered months after the incident occurred, but video surfacing prompted the team to act. At the time, the Chiefs had indicated Hunt lied to them regarding the events depicted in the video.

Hunt went unclaimed on waivers, but ex-Chiefs GM John Dorsey (then in place as Browns GM) gave him a second chance in free agency in 2019. The Browns extended Hunt — who received an eight-game suspension — on a two-year, $12MM deal in 2020. Hunt signed the extension after Dorsey’s ouster and played four seasons under the Andrew Berry–Kevin Stefanski pairing.

Having accumulated 1,202 scrimmage yards in just 11 games in 2018, Hunt was on course for a second Pro Bowl at the time he was waived. He had already scored 14 touchdowns for a historically explosive Chiefs offense, one that employed Tyreek Hill and a prime version of Travis Kelce. The Chiefs narrowly missed Super Bowl LIII that season but have since won three championships with low-cost RB situations. Hunt may well have been on an extension track — for a team that has become known for being quite lenient when it comes to off-field trouble — in Kansas City, but he settled into a backup role in Cleveland and saw his trajectory change.

Although Hunt played a key role in the Browns’ 2020 playoff return by compiling 1,145 yards from scrimmage and working as the team’s passing-down option, he has not eclipsed 700 scrimmage yards in a season since. Injury trouble intervened in 2021, and he averaged just 3.8 yards per handoff during a disappointing 2022 season. While last year brought a career-low YPC number, Hunt still rushed for nine touchdowns to help the Browns to the playoffs despite Chubb, Deshaun Watson and both starting tackles going down.

The same Chiefs power structure is in place from the time Hunt was cut, though GM Brett Veach was not yet in charge when the Toledo alum was drafted in 2017. Hunt will likely move to Kansas City’s active roster soon, with Steele fumbling Sunday and Perine profiling as more change-of-pace back and pass catcher than workhorse. A committee should be expected here.

Edwards-Helaire is out of the mix on the reserve/non-football illness list. Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula against the Bengals and is heading to IR. While Pacheco is not expected to miss the season, the third-year back will miss much of it. Hunt will be asked to help the Chiefs get by in the meantime.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/17/24

September 17th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Tuesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

  • Signed: T Marcellus Johnson
  • Released: T Ricky Lee

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Commanders

Woods joins the Falcons’ practice squad after a workout last week that also included veterans Kwon Alexander and Rashaan Evans.

The Browns are adding Freeman after the seven-year veteran was released by the Cowboys before the regular season. Freeman could potentially pitch in as the team keeps working without Nick Chubb.

Yeast becomes the next former-Rams defensive back to join the Panthers. Current Carolina defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero used to serve as the secondary coach in Los Angeles, and Yeast joins Jordan Fuller, Nick Scott, and Troy Hill as former students of Evero to sign a deal with the Panthers.

Chosen’s time off the Dolphins’ practice squad could be a short one. Chosen was called up as a standard gameday elevation twice in the first two weeks of the season, reaching his limit for the year. If the team re-signs him to a new practice squad contract, his count should start over.

Reagor saw 11 games and a start last year for New England, catching seven passes for 138 yards as a deep threat. Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the Patriots will be giving him similar opportunities this year after this release.

Pierre played a big part in the Steelers’ secondary in 2021 and 2022, starting six games and logging an interception in each season. His role was extremely reduced last year with the arrivals of Joey Porter Jr.. and Patrick Peterson, but his experience could be crucial in a position room that only rosters five cornerbacks as Cameron Sutton remains on suspension.

Chiefs To Place RB Isiah Pacheco On IR

September 16th, 2024 at 10:22pm CST by Adam La Rose

2:53pm: Pacheco is set to undergo surgery this week, per Rapoport. The outcome of that procedure will determine the timeline for his recovery, which Schefter’s colleague Jeremy Fowler adds is currently six to eight weeks. An IR stint will take place, but Pacheco should be available to return later this season.

10:56am: The Chiefs improved to 2-0 on Sunday, but their offense suffered another blow on the injury front in the process. Running back Isiah Pacheco was in a walking boot and using crutches after the contest, and he is facing a notable spell on the sidelines.

[RELATED: WR Marquise Brown To Miss 2024 Season]

X-rays taken yesterday indicated Pacheco suffered a fractured fibula, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. Further testing will take place today to determine the full extent of the injury, but in any event a multi-week absence is in store. ESPN’s Adam Schefter adds Kansas City is expected to place Pacheco on injured reserve.

An IR stint would require at least a four-week stint on the shelf, but Schefter notes Pacheco could very well be out longer than that. A long-term absence would hinder Kansas City’s running game given the former seventh-rounder’s importance to the team. Pacheco emerged as the lead back during his rookie campaign, and he played a key role in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run. That remained the case last year, when the 25-year-old racked up 1,179 scrimmage yards and nine total touchdowns during the regular season.

Expectations were high for another productive Pacheco campaign in 2024, but his injury will leave the team in need of a new backfield option. Kansas City retained former first-rounder Clyde Edwards-Helaire during the offseason on a one-year deal. He was placed on the reserve/NFI list to begin the season, however, sidelining him until at least Week 5. The Chiefs lost veteran pass-catcher Jerick McKinnon during the spring, but the team filled that void with the addition of Samaje Perine. The latter could take on an increased workload beyond third-down duties with Pacheco no longer in the picture.

Undrafted rookie Carson Steele rounds out the Chiefs’ backfield as things stand. Steele impressed during training camp and the preseason, but he has received only nine carries through the first two weeks of the campaign. That could change during the time Pacheco misses, particularly on early downs and in the redzone. However the team’s backfield shakes out, though, Pacheco’s absence will be acutely felt.

The Chiefs have just over $6MM in cap space at the moment, less flexibility than most other teams. That could limit Kansas City’s ability to make an outside addition via the free agent market. Veteran Keaontay Ingram and undrafted rookie Emani Bailey are in place on the team’s practice squad, and at least one could be promoted in the event Pacheco were to go on IR.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/16/24

September 16th, 2024 at 8:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

Peyton Hendershot made headlines in Week 1, with the tight end earning a fine after participating in a shoving match in defense of QB Patrick Mahomes. Hendershot wasn’t even active for that contest, but he made his Chiefs debut yesterday and got into seven special teams snaps. The former UDFA out of Indiana was traded by the Cowboys to the Chiefs at the end of August. As DLLS’s Clarence Hill Jr. notes, today’s move means the Cowboys won’t receive the 2026 conditional seventh-round pick from the Chiefs.

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