The Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver depth chart features one of the most wide-open battles in sports. With Kadarius Toney sidelined, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the only proven player on the roster, leaving a combination of veterans and untested rookies fighting for playing time. Youngsters Rashee Rice and Justyn Ross saw time with the first-team offense during Week 1 of the preseason, but head coach Andy Reid recently clarified that this doesn’t necessarily mean either player has an inside path to a starting job.
Andy Reid Clears Up Confusion Around Chiefs Wide Receiver Depth Chart
Based on preseason playing time alone, one might assume that Rice and Ross have usurped veteran Richie James on the depth chart. However, during his latest press conference, Reid went out of his way to clarify that this is not the case.
“He [Richie James] has been working in with Pat [Mahomes] in the practices. We tried to get some of the young guys some reps – we have a pretty good feel for him, he’s a good player. We’ve got good tape in this offense of him. There was a little more emphasis put on four [Rashee Rice] and eight [Justyn Ross] in the game.
JUSTYN ROSS TOUCHDOWN 🙌 pic.twitter.com/9682djxr2L
— PFF (@PFF) August 13, 2023
Intuitively, this makes sense. While this is James’ first year with the Kansas City Chiefs, he has bounced around the league and is coming off a 57-catch, 569-yard season with the New York Giants. The former seventh-round pick has plenty of reps against NFL competition, while second-round pick Rashee Rice and former undrafted free agent Justyn Ross made their NFL debut last week. While Rice and Ross could earn larger roles with strong play, it appears as though they have yet to pass James on the depth chart.
Richie James, Rashee Rice Weigh In
Adjusting to life in the NFL is not easy for anyone, but one could argue that Richie James could have used those first-team reps to develop chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. However, as James himself explained, the Chiefs wide receiver believes that he and Mahomes have strong chemistry and are already on the same page.
“Great, like I said getting the opportunity to work with him. He gives you a lot of advice of where he’s thinking and you know where you should be at when he releases the ball…He does a really good job of telling you ‘Hey, expect the ball right here at this moment. So, eyes better be up, hands ready.”
Based on the quotes from Reid and James himself, it’s safe to say that rookie Rashee Rice needed those first-team reps more than James did. For what it’s worth, the second-round pick believes that the made the most out of his early playing time.
Saying that he “did well”, the rookie acknowledged the jump in difficulty. “I’m used to being in college and knowing exactly who I’m about to go against, but in the NFL, you can only really just watch film and try to understand the person that you’re going to be able to compete against. There’s a lot of guys I’ve never seen before on the field that I got to be in front of.”
Reading between the lines, it appears as though Richie James is still in line to begin the season ahead of Rice and Ross on the depth chart. Depending on the health of Kadarius Toney, there is a chance James actually starts for the Chiefs in Week 1. That being said, don’t be surprised if one of the young receivers start pushing for playing time as the season progresses and the game starts to slow down.
Main Photo: Denny Medley – USA Today Sports
