The Kansas City Chiefs received mixed injury news ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Wide receiver Rashee Rice missed Wednesday’s practice with a hamstring injury, while left tackle Josh Simmons returned to the field on a limited basis for the first time since training camp.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Rashee Rice has played just 12 games across the last two seasons. Rice’s hamstring issue has again put his availability in question. The Kansas City Chiefs receiver sat out practice, and head coach Andy Reid declined to provide a firm timeline, noting that hamstring injuries can keep a player out for 1 to 2 weeks.
Andy Reid made it clear he’s the only one in that spot.
“As far as injuries go, Rashee (Rice) will be the only one that doesn’t go today,” Reid said. “Everybody else is scheduled to do something.”
Asked whether Rice might still get on the field at some point this week, Reid didn’t shut the door.
“Yeah, we’ll just kind of see how it goes,” Reid said. “He’s actually feeling pretty good as he goes here, but we’ll see. I mean, those things you start dealing with hamstrings, it could be a week, could be two weeks. I mean, you don’t know. But I know he’s eager to get back in.”
The injury happened during the win over the Las Vegas Raiders, when Rice left in the first quarter after a short catch from Patrick Mahomes. He limped toward the sideline after the five-yard reception and never returned. The Chiefs first called him questionable to return with a hamstring injury, then ruled him out.
That matters because Rice has produced when he’s been available. He caught 13 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown through his first three games, and his 88-yard day against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3 showed what he adds.
With Patrick Mahomes running the offense, a healthy Rice gives him one more dependable option along with Travis Kelce.
The timing is at least decent. The Chiefs have won four straight to open the year, including a 30-27 win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, and they had a bye in Week 5. That extra time lets the team keep a close eye on Rice, though they’ll want to stay careful with a player they need healthy for the long run.
On defense, tackle Omarr Norman-Lott is still out after tearing his ACL in the 2025 NFL season. He began camp on the Active/PUP list before moving to the Reserve/PUP list during roster cuts.
He was eligible to return in Week 3 but wasn’t ready. Reid said he’s getting better and working out with the trainers, but still needs more time.
Next up, the Chiefs head to Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, October 18, looking for a fifth straight win against Justin Herbert and the winless Los Angeles Chargers.
Rice and Omarr Norman-Lott are still working their way back onto the field, but Josh Simmons doesn’t seem to be in that group.
Chiefs LT Josh Simmons returns to practice
Kansas City did get some good news up front, as the left tackle returned to practice.
Josh Simmons, the 2025 first-round pick, stepped straight into the starting left tackle job, but he appeared in only eight games, all as a starter. Four more games were lost to a personal matter, and he later landed on injured reserve after surgery to repair a fractured and dislocated wrist, as Reid explained last December.
This season brought more of the same. He suffered a bulging disc in his lower back during August training camp and has missed all four games so far, with undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson filling in at left tackle.
Now there’s finally some movement. Coming off the bye, Simmons practiced Wednesday for the first time since August 17, though only on a limited basis.
“I’m just going to ease him back in,” Reid said. “He’s going to practice, but we’ll be on a limited basis there.”
Reid made no promises about Week 6, and he hasn’t thought about how the line would change once Simmons is back.
“Yeah, I haven’t even gone there (game return timetable). I’m just glad he’s having a chance to come back. We start dealing with backs; got to ease it back in if you can get back in at all,” said Reid. “So we’ll just see how he does. I haven’t really even gone there. I know he’s wanting to get back out there, and this is the first step of that.”
The Chiefs are 4-0, but Rice, Norman-Lott and Simmons are all still on the mend. Reid’s patient approach should serve Kansas City well as it hosts the Chargers on Sunday.