KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Rashee Rice, the Kansas City Chiefs' No. 1 receiver, performed well in his first practice week since finishing his six-game suspension for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, setting himself up to play a sizable number of snaps Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
In his first public comments since rejoining his teammates, Rice said Friday that he spent much of his time during his suspension training in Florida and Texas. He did his own individual workouts, sessions that included work on his route running, his strength and condition, and his quickness.
During training camp -- even before he was suspended by the league -- Rice vowed to stay in shape during his time away from his teammates.
"I tried to keep myself in the heat, just like [St. Joseph, Missouri]," Rice said Friday, referencing where the Chiefs conduct their training camp. "I trained Monday through Friday and did some type of workout on Sunday to have my mind get ready to get active on a game day."
In July, Rice was sentenced to 30 days in jail and five years' probation for his role in a multicar crash in Dallas that left multiple people injured during the 2024 offseason.
When the NFL handed down its suspension, which Rice didn't appeal after the league's internal investigation, it voided a Sept. 30 hearing before former U.S. District Judge Sue L. Robinson that was scheduled to be held at league headquarters in New York. Rice, 25, pleaded guilty in district court to two third-degree felony charges -- collision involving serious bodily injury and racing on a highway causing bodily injury. He received deferred adjudication, and the case will be dismissed if he completes probation.
"Honestly, it was a decision that was best for not only me but for the team so I could be here right now," Rice said of choosing not to appeal. "All of that is over, so I'm ready [to play]. I learned that I love the game of football. It's probably my second love [behind my family], but I was able to realize how strong I am mentally in being able to face a lot of adversity, at the time."
After observing Rice for three practices, coach Andy Reid said he is optimistic that his top receiver can regain his form sooner rather than later.
"He looked sharp," Reid said of Rice. "It's not a game, but what we asked him to do, he did well. You can tell he's in good shape. That's always your worry when someone misses a few weeks because it's different when you're playing. But he busted his tail, so now it's just a matter of getting in a game and getting reps. We'll see how all that goes."
As a rookie in 2023, Rice led Chiefs receivers with 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdown catches. Last year, he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 4 when he tore the lateral collateral ligament in his right knee. He had 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns in four games.
Sunday's game will be the first time that Rice, Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown -- the team's top trio of receivers -- will play together. Even without Rice, the Chiefs have averaged 31.6 points in the past three games as Worthy has returned to the lineup after recovering from a dislocated right shoulder.
"This week is really big," Rice said. "I'm very excited to be out there to compete."
Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, the Chiefs' 2025 first-round draft pick, missed this week of practices and is not expected to be available for Sunday's game. Reid said Simmons' absence was due to a "family situation."
Hours before last Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions, Simmons flew back to his hometown of San Diego for what the team called a personal reason. Reid on Friday didn't give a timeline for when Simmons would be back with the team.