Most knew that Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice was going to be suspended this season due to an off-the-field incident months ago, and now the NFL has dropped the hammer, suspending No. 4 for six games for violation of the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

That means Rice will miss games against the Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Detroit Lions, before he is eligible to return.

There are some high-profile games among those six, and not having your No. 1 weapon is far from ideal, but tight end Noah Gray is confident in what the Chiefs’ coaching staff will do for the offense.

“We’re just going to go out there, trust what the coaches put on our plates and whatever game plan that we have regardless of who’s in there,” Gray said. “I’m extremely confident in all the guys, and it’s going to be fun, we’re really looking forward to the Chargers game and just taking it week by week, step by step, trusting the process and going throughout this season. So, we’re really looking forward to it.”

Considering the Chiefs didn’t have Rice from Week 4 onwards last season due to a knee injury, they at least have some experience of not having their No. 1 weapon on the field, and it will give the likes of Xaver Worthy, Juju Smith-Schuster, and Marquise Brown more opportunities to shine.

There is no doubt Kansas City still has enough weapons to cause problems for any defense, and the unit will have Rice back from Week 7 onwards, which is ample time to continue building towards a potential Super Bowl run.

But the franchise must navigate a tough opening stretch without its star receiver, and that is far from ideal. However, if Gray is confident the team can overcome it, then so are we.