Kansas City

Chiefs

He’ll be a reliable TE1, even in a tough matchup against Seattle’s defense, as the Chiefs simply don’t have many other Trusted Mahomes Targets healthy for this one. It’s essentially just Kelce and Xavier Worthy healthy of Kansas City’s main targets.

Did you remember he was on the roster? Funny what one little Kenneth Walker signing will do. Smith has one touch and six snaps in five games. Jadyn Ott will get RB3 duties in Week 7.

Rice didn’t practice all week despite Andy Reid’s optimistic spin that he’s a “quick healer.” It’s hard to make much sense of how available he’ll be for Week 8 at this point as Rice hasn’t practiced since before the team’s Week 5 bye. Xavier Worthy will again get a WR3-caliber workload as The Only Game In Town for the Chiefs wideouts.

Kelce should be good to go for the Chiefs’ Week 7 game against the Seahawks. At 37 years old, he does not need to practice fully in order to play, though it would be nice to see him upgrade to full participation tomorrow. If active, he is a locked-in TE1.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid told reporters that Rice’s strain was only a “tweak” in his Week 4 post-game remarks. So much for that. The Chiefs will almost assuredly be without their No. 1 wide receiver against the Seahawks this week, leaving Xavier Worthy to handle the role.

The Chiefs made head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder available to the media to explain the 2026 Simmons Saga today. On August 17th, the young left tackle reported calf discomfort in the same leg that he underwent a patellar tendon repair in 2024. Chiefs trainers discovered that a bulging, herniated disc in his lumbar spine was causing the lower-leg issue. According to Burkholder, offensive linemen occasionally deal with this type of disc issue, but Simmons’ issue was complicated because it was abnormally high up in the lumbar spine. Simmons consulted with a well-regarded spine specialist, who recommended rehabilitation instead of surgery. Imaging taken early in the rehab process showed improvement, so they stayed the course, but unfortunately, Simmons’ recovery has recently plateaued, leading to the injured reserve placement. Simmons will be eligible to return for the Chiefs’ Week 11 game against the Cardinals.

Kelce played through an ankle issue in Week 6, catching five passes for 53 yards. Despite not playing at full health, he was still second on the team in targets. Kelce starts out the week as a limited practice participant and it would be a surprise if he misses National Tight End Day this week against the Seahawks.

Right tackle Jaylon Moore was also held out of practice with a concussion. Rice went down with the hamstring issue in Week 4. Even with a bye week to heal before Week 6, he wasn’t ready to return. A DNP today suggests he will miss at least one more game. Xavier Worthy led the Chiefs with seven catches for 73 yards in his absence last week. He would be in line for another high-usage game if Rice remains out for Week 7’s game against the Seahawks.

The Chiefs used more two tight end sets with Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton sidelined. Gray ran a route on around half of KC’s drop backs and matched Travis Kelce with 53 yards. If Kelce struggles to play through the ankle injury he picked up against the Bolts, Gray could step in as the team’s TE1 in Week 7 against the Seahawks.

Rashee Rice’s absence didn’t translate into more playing time for Allen, who logged a mere five pass routes against the Chargers. He can remain on waiver wires until his playing time increases, which is unlikely if Rice is able to return in the coming weeks.