Here's what Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes said about Hollywood Brown, Rashee Rice
So far, so good for Mahomes' wide receiver threats
Chiefs wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown recently expressed his excitement to be back after he signed a one-year deal.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, the player responsible for getting the ball in Brown’s hands, feels the same way.
“You all saw in training camp how special of a football player he is and did everything the right way,” Mahomes said Wednesday during a Zoom teleconference. “(He) was in the building early, was in the building late, was teaching other guys. And for him to get injured in kind of a freak deal there in the first play of the preseason, it stunk.”
Brown consistently turned heads throughout training camp last summer before suffering a shoulder injury in the preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He eventually underwent surgery and endured an extended recovery before returning in Week 16 of the regular season.
The speedy wide receiver finished the regular season with nine catches for 91 yards on 15 targets in two games. He went on secure five catches for 50 yards on 13 targets in the Chiefs’ three postseason games.
Mahomes said he was happy to have Brown back late in the season, and the signal-caller now expects Brown to have an expanded role in 2025.
“I think you can see when he gets the football in his hands and he has a huge role in our offense, it makes everybody go,” Mahomes said. “So, excited for him, also that receiving room. In general, all really good friends and all want each other to have success, and I think it can be one of the better receiving rooms in this league with the guys we have in it.”
Brown will once again team up with Rashee Rice and Xavier Brown to form the foundation of Mahomes’ receiving threats.
The trio, along with other players, joined Mahomes in Texas for workouts this offseason before the start of organized team activities (OTAs).
When it comes to Rice, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury early last season, Mahomes provided a promising update.
“He looks really good,” Mahomes said. “He’s running routes, he’s catching the football. I don’t know when we get back into the actual OTAs how much he’ll be able to do, but he’s been able to do everything here as far as running routes and everything like that.”
Rice’s status could change once the Chiefs begin OTAs in late May, of course. And it wouldn’t surprise if the Chiefs take it easy on Rice by easing him in with the on-field workouts before training camp.
But so far, so good for Mahomes’ primary wide receivers.
“Obviously, everything is great right now,” Mahomes said. “Getting the guys back healthy as far as Rashee, and having Hollywood fully healthy, and Xavier in year two, I think the offense has a chance to be really, really good.”
