Chiefs Staff Explains Importance of Rashee Rice's Return

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Kansas City wide receivers coach Connor Embree and pass-game coordinator Joe Bleymaier spoke prior to practice on Thursday. The Chiefs (3-3) are hosting the Las Vegas Raiders (2-4) on Sunday (12 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan).

To view their comments, watch and read below:

Q: What have you seen from the wide receiver group and its chemistry?

EMBREE: “Yeah, they’re a very close group; everyone gets along. The biggest thing I think is they all like to watch each other succeed. They’re each other’s biggest fans and truly just all brothers.”

Q: On Xavier Worthy’s ability to be a route runner.

EMBREE: “I think sometimes not just even him but some receivers, when they come out from college and into the pros, they kind of get a bad knock on them for being fast and thinking that they can only do one thing because they’re fast.

“But I said it earlier, too; I thought he did a good job this offseason of developing and improving on areas me and him talked about going into the offseason. Everyone knows, and you can see it on tape, he’s not just a straight line, I’m just going to run track out here. He’s a football player. It’s great having him.”

Q: On the EGE (everybody gotta eat) mantra:

EMBREE: “Yeah, I told the group at the start of the year, it doesn’t matter if we win 2-0 or 100-0. I don’t care if you guys get 100 catches or zero catches. The most important part is to win. I think they just buy into that, the whole team does, and that’s why we are who we are.”

Q: On what he sees from the receivers’ love for each other:

BLEYMAIER: “It’s a good observation and anybody that has been around them in this room or me or any of the coaches, it’s a genuine respect and admiration that they all have for each other. When you have that respect for somebody else in your receiver room that’s doing the same job, that comes to work, is prepared, it allows you to kind of appreciate the different skill sets that everybody has.

“And there’s no jealousy or rivalry; it’s more of a mutual respect, and then how can we all complement each other to have fun, play our best and move the ball. It’s a true statement that they do get along great. I think it’s built on that true respect.”

juju smith-schuste — Oct 12, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster (9) makes a catch over Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch (32) during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Q: On the value of yards after catch.

BLEYMAIER: “I think the value of it is in a way eliminating some third downs. When you have the yards after the catch, we’re always trying to get explosive plays that move the chains.

“Sometimes the easiest or highest-percentage throw is shorter, but if you can take that higher-percentage completion and turn it into a yards after catch that moves the chains, you’re just prolonging the drive, raising the likelihood that you’re scoring points and staying out of those third downs, where the potential is coming off the field.

“I think in the grand scheme of things, we’ve been good on third downs and we’ve been great having third and manageable, third-down shorter and staying sort of ahead of the sticks. But the YAC really helps you continuing to move the chains.”

Q: How have you seen Travis Kelce raise his game?

BLEYMAIER: “A lot has been said about it. One of the things that I think is unique with Travis, especially at 35, he finds an ability to get better during the season. We’re here in October and sometimes guys, especially guys that know they’re going to play, know they’re going to have a lot of snaps, can go into each week of the season – especially October -- with sort of a self-preservation mode.

“Just trying to maintain where they are physically and do it on Sunday. They don’t really push themselves during the week. They’re trying to save something back for Sunday. Trav continues to push himself Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays, and that allows him to get better.

“I think that’s what has gotten him to this point, and he hasn’t slowed that down, so even at his age and the years that he has, he’s continuing to get better week to week. You’re seeing it a little bit in the stats, but he’s always done that. That’s rare, the guys who are new and especially the wide receivers that see him work can take that as an example that just because the season starts, it’s not all about Sundays. It really is what you do each day.”

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