Chiefs fans finally get the Rashee Rice and Josh Simmons update they craved

Andy Reid was the bearer of very, very good news on the third and final day of mandatory minicamp.

Out of all of the possible questions and concerns that the Kansas City Chiefs could have addressed during minicamp, the most important ones of all were focused on the health and status of some of the team's most important contributors coming into 2025. Specifically, the Chiefs wanted to see how wide receiver Rashee Rice and rookie tackle Josh Simmons looked in practice. Apparently, the signs are positive.

The Chiefs' head coach spoke to the media on Thursday following the conclusion of three days of minicamp. During his session with reporters, he addressed the health status of both Rice and Simmons, saying exactly what Chiefs Kingdom has been hoping to hear all along. "Yeah, I think they're both ready to go.They've actually got great work in these camps here," said Reid.

Before he was injured early in the Chiefs' fourth game last season, Rice had started the year on a red-hot streak that not only established him as Patrick Mahomes' new favorite target but had him on the verge of being a household name. The former second-round pick in 2023 had 24 catches for 288 yards and 2 scores in his first three starts and looked ready to break out with a Pro Bowl-caliber performance.

Andy Reid was the bearer of very, very good injury news from Chiefs minicamp.

If Rice is healthy, it gives Mahomes his preferred option back along with a healthy Hollywood Brown, an experienced Xavier Worthy, and a re-energized Travis Kelce. When you add in Noah Gray, Jalen Royals, and others, the Chiefs suddenly have an impressive array of pass catchers.

Specifically, Reid singled out Simmons' "want to" as a big part of the reason he's been so ready at this stage.

"You can see his want to," said Reid. "He's got a great attitude. He's approached everything the right way, plus a little bit extra. You can tell if you just want to look at his rehab, you can see that he had a mindset that, it's not going to be training camp, so it's going to be like now. He worked his tail off to get there, so you respect that part of it. He's done a nice job in there."

The update on Simmons is even more important, because the Ohio State product was considered to be the most gifted offensive tackle in the draft class. Unfortunately a patellar injury suffered mid-season knocked him down some draft boards (along with some vague character concerns), which gave the Chiefs access to a potential blue-chip talent at the bottom of the first round.

If Simmons is healthy, it's possible the Chiefs have the new long-term fix at left tackle they've been looking for since Eric Fisher's back problems were a talking point. And that frees up Jaylon Moore and other candidates to battle it out at other positions, strengthening the entire line with competitive depth.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course, but at this stage of the offseason, Andy Reid provided the most heartening updates possible for two players who will be paramount for the Chiefs' chances to get back to the Super Bowl once again. That's as good as it gets in mid-June.