The Kansas City Chiefs finally were given their answer on Rashee Rice’s legal situation on Thursday. Rice accepted a plea deal that will have the receiver spending the next five years on probation as well as 30 days in jail.
This is the legal answer the league has been waiting for to decide what possible suspension Rice is going to receive. Early speculation has the star receiving a 3-6 game suspension. Judging this is far out of bounds with the legal system and league in a far more informed place to decide what the appropriate course of action is.
From a purely football perspective, this does create a potential void in the first weeks of the season. With the legal system concluding the issue sooner than expected, it is fair to expect Rice to miss time. This does set up an opportunity for another surprise player to step in and establish himself, starting with this week’s training camp. Looking at potential options who could step in to start if Rice is suspended, one rookie stands out.
Chiefs Should Give Jalen Royals an Early-Season Chance to Start
If Rice is suspended as expected, the Chiefs have a unique opportunity they should use to accomplish two things. The first is for Patrick Mahomes to continue to lean on Xavier Worthy and build the confidence of the young speedster. The second is slotting Jalen Royals into the starting lineup and finding out exactly what they have in the rookie.
Royals has been impressive throughout the early parts of the offseason, leaving room to believe he has worked his way into the rotation. If Rice is going to be gone for a substantial amount of time, the team should use this chance to develop the talented pass catcher. However, nothing is given in this league, meaning Royals needs a strong training camp and preseason to take advantage of the potential opportunity.
With the rest of the Kansas City options already having a known ceiling, there is little to be lost by Reid throwing Royals into the starting lineup. If Rice is lost for the start of the year, this is the path to choose if the rookie is able to continue his early momentum.
