Chiefs Rumors: Rashee Rice problem with drops not worrying Andy Reid
There's a lot to like about rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice, which is why Brett Veach and the Kansas City Chiefs didn't hesitate to select him with the 55th overall pick in this April's draft. But if there's one thing that was a problem for Rice at SMU and has persisted into his first preseason foray, it's been concentration drops.
While Rice has a couple of drops that have been glaring on tape, the most egregious yet may have come in the first half of the preseason finale against the Browns. Wide-open down the field thanks to a blown coverage, the rookie wideout let a surefire touchdown from Blaine Gabbert fall through his hands and hit the turf for a truly inexplicable incompletion.
After the game, head coach Andy Reid was asked about Rice and his issues with drops -- he had four in three preseason games. For Big Red's part, he doesn't appear worried about the outlook for the SMU product.
"He's got a lot of talent; he's just got to hang on to the ball," Reid said, via Arrowhead Pride. "He's got good hands. We just got to focus on squeezing it. Catch it first, and you go do your thing after that. He'll be all right. He's just got to keep working through it."
There's no question that Rice has an opportunity to really emerge in a Chiefs offense that, aside from Travis Kelce, is wondering who will emerge as the top-end pass-catchers. Rice clearly has the talent to make an impact as a rookie, which Reid is still seemingly a believer of.
But again, he just needs to work on hanging onto the dang ball.
Chiefs Rumors: La'Mical Perine beat out camp darling Deneric Prince for roster spot
Early at Chiefs training camp, one of the most buzzworthy players this side of Justyn Ross was UDFA running back Deneric Prince. The Tulsa product was wowing with his burst and vision out of the backfield and quickly became a fan favorite, a young player many were rooting for to carve out a roster spot behind Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon.
When it's come to preseason action, though, Prince has struggled to parlay his camp successes onto the field. He's averaged just 3.59 yards per carry. For a Chiefs offense that will need to find explosive plays behind Pacheco, they haven't been getting them the rookie.
They have, however, seen that from fourth-year back La'Mical Perine.
The former Jets fourth-round pick (2020) led the Chiefs in rushing in the preseason, registering 97 yards on just 16 carries (6.06 yards per attempt). He also caught four passes for 50 yards as well. Even better, he left a good final impression with two big plays on scoring drives in Kansas City's preseason finale on Saturday against Cleveland.
With Clyde Edwards-Helaire being a prime trade candidate as he's grown out of favor but could still get a shot elsewhere, there is room for a third running back behind Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon. Perine seems to have done more of what the Chiefs need from their running back depth in the preseason than Prince, which we could very well see play out when the 53-man roster cuts come down.
Chiefs Rumors: Shane Buechele failed to take QB2 job from Gabbert
Coming into Saturday's preseason finale, third-year quarterback Shane Buechele appeared to have a legitimate shot of taking down veteran Blaine Gabbert, who was signed in free agency this offseason seemingly to replace veteran Chad Henne after his retirement, as the backup to Patrick Mahomes.
Buechele had proven himself as a playmaker who played with admirable efficiency in the first two games of the preseason and really gave the offense a spark, albeit against backups. Thus, it seemed like the Chiefs' final game of the preseason was one last audition for the former SMU and Texas star to take the job from Gabbert.
Unfortunately, Buechele largely fell flat in the preseason finale. Though he did throw for 89 yards and a touchdown, he completed under 50% of his passes (8-of-17) and threw two pretty ugly interceptions, one of which was returned by former Chiefs safety Juan Thornhill for a pick-six touchdown.
While Buechele has been a great story in training camp and the preseason, Gabbert far outshined him in the preseason finale, which all but cements the fact that the veteran will go into the season as the backup. That doesn't mean this is the end of the line for Buechele as a whole but, in the context of the 2023 season, it doesn't appear that he's going to factor into the Chiefs' plans after biting the dust in his biggest and last opportunity to prove himself.
