Who Should I Start? James Cook or Rashee Rice

Thursday, May 8, 7:58 AM

Buffalo Bills running back James Cook skipped the initial portion of the team's voluntary offseason workout program, but general manager Brandon Beane expects him to be ready for football when the time comes. Cook's holdout stems from contract talks, which are ongoing between the running back and team executives. "I know we've had people in the building that he's been talking with, and I have no doubt when it's time to play football, he'll be ready to roll," Beane said. Although an exact timeline is unclear, Cook could return as soon as June 10, when the Bills begin their mandatory minicamp for veteran players. Per the terms of the CBA, any player who misses all three days of mandatory minicamp will be hit with fines exceeding $100,000 total. That amount could be a drop in the bucket compared to Cook's next contract, but it's still a significant price to pay for missing three days of practice. Extending Cook would be in the Bills' best interest after he totaled 1,267 scrimmage yards and a career-high 18 touchdowns last season.

Wednesday, April 23, 10:56 PM

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes confirmed that wide receiver Rashee Rice (knee) is healthy and has been taking part in the team's voluntary offseason workouts. "The expectations are high," Mahomes said of Rice. "I mean, he looks really good. 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." It's great news for the 25-year-old, who suffered a season-ending LCL tear in Week 4 against the Chargers last year. The Chiefs will likely be cautious with Rice when OTAs begin, but barring a setback, he's fully expected to be ready for training camp and the start of the 2025 regular season this fall. In addition to coming off a major knee injury, Rice could be facing discipline from the league for an off-the-field incident. But all that aside, he has clear WR1 upside.