In their first week back from the bye, the Kansas City Chiefs are putting the finishing touches on preparations for Sunday's contest against the Los Angeles Chargers. There's also some fresh clarity on whether two of the club's top offensive players will be available in Week 6.
Following Friday's practice to wrap up the week, head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media and revealed that both wide receiver Rashee Rice and left tackle Josh Simmons will miss the weekend.
"As far as the injuries go, Rashee Rice is out for this game," Reid said. "And then Josh Simmons will be out for this game also but has been out and getting better as we go here."
Rice, who left Week 4's win over the Las Vegas Raiders with a hamstring injury, rested during the bye and didn't participate in Kansas City's practices on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. The team has no plans to place him on injured reserve; Reid believes it'll be a somewhat quick turnaround after the Chargers game.
"Yeah, I mean, you guys saw him out there," Reid said. "He's out there wanting to jump in on everything. He'll be alright. You never know about these. He's a pretty fast healer."
Without Rice and Tyquan Thornton (ankle), it'll be players like Xavier Worthy and Jalen Royals looking to contribute out of the receiver room. The recently-acquired Justin Watson and someone like Nikko Remigio or rookie Cyrus Allen could also stumble into some snaps on Sunday.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes claims to trust whoever his pass catchers are, which Reid echoed on Friday.
"They're excited to get in if they have that chance, and I think they'll do a good job," Reid said. "Pat's got a good relationship with those guys, and that's important. He has some trust there too; that's important."
Simmons, meanwhile, had an extended absence because of a bulging disc in his back. After not practicing since August, the 2025 first-round pick returned this week and was limited each day. Reid said Simmons was "excited to be out there," even without being too involved in terms of workload.
"He got some work in," Reid said. "He didn't work in the team periods. That was the idea, though, that we went out with just so we would get some base and some fundamentals and technique, start getting that."
Elsewhere for the Chiefs, left guard Kingsley Suamataia will get back in the starting lineup on Sunday after riding the pine in Week 4 due to an undisclosed reason.
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