More than a week after he was hurt, Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice's injury details have emerged.
Rice is expected to miss the remainder of the 2024 season as he needs his LCL repaired, but there is optimism that's the only ligament he'll need surgery on, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday.
Rice is scheduled for surgery Tuesday and, if the procedure confirms the LCL is the only damaged ligament and his ACL doesn't need reconstructing, the second-year WR should be out for roughly three months and able to return health in 2025, Rapoport added.
The diagnosis came after Rice met with Dr. Dan Cooper for an arthroscopic procedure.
Rice was injured in a Week 4 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sept. 29 when quarterback Patrick Mahomes dived, inadvertently, into his receiver’s leg while going for a tackle after throwing an interception.
Rice left the game and was carted to the locker room. He wasn’t targeted up to that point but entered the game leading the Chiefs with 24 receptions, 288 yards and two touchdowns -- each more than double anyone else prior to Week 4.
Rapoport reported after the game that the fear was that Rice had torn his ACL and could miss the rest of the season. While Rice is expected to miss the remainder of the campaign, coming back from an LCL injury injury as opposed to an ACL is good news, if there is any, in a situation such as this. Nonetheless, the Chiefs remain in a precarious position as they head to kickoff tonight against the New Orleans Saints and beyond. Rice emerged as Mahomes’ top WR target and leaves the receiver room all the more depleted, as it's already missing Marquise Brown, who is on injured reserve with no definitive timetable for a return from shoulder surgery.
The loss of Rice will likely lead to bigger contributions being sought from rookie Xavier Worthy, Justin Watson, Skyy Moore, Mecole Hardman and JuJu Smith-Schuster.