SMU Professional Athletes

Seven catches. Eighty-eight yards. A season high. And, perhaps most tellingly, a performance that was better than the week before, which was better than the week before that.

SMU wide receiver Rashee Rice is on a trajectory that should have Chiefs Kingdom paying close attention — and opposing defensive coordinators doing the same. In Kansas City's Week 3 win over the Miami Dolphins (24-10), Rice was Patrick Mahomes' most dependable outlet, hauling in 7 receptions for 88 yards to pace the offense. It was the third consecutive week his numbers climbed, a trend that speaks to something more than hot-streak variance.

Through three games in 2026, Rice has caught 13 passes for 190 yards and a touchdown, ranking among the team's top targets by share. According to Heavy Sports, Rice has remodeled his game after a current NFL All-Pro, a deliberate stylistic overhaul that appears to be paying dividends in real time.

The Chiefs' offense as a whole is no slouch, ranking No. 2 overall in the NFL through the first three weeks, with a run game anchored by Kenneth Walker III and a passing attack built around Travis Kelce and Rice. One notable subplot: Xavier Worthy has been playing through a shoulder injury, per head coach Andy Reid — which may be quietly elevating Rice's role and target volume even further.

Two Mustangs in KC

Rice isn't the only SMU product suiting up in Arrowhead this season. Fellow Mustang Brashard Smith is also on Kansas City's roster at running back. Smith saw limited action against Miami, catching 1 pass for 4 yards, but his presence means the Chiefs are fielding multiple SMU alumni on game day — a quiet point of pride for the Hilltop.

Around the League

Elsewhere, SMU defensive back Charles Woods is drawing meaningful snaps in New England. When Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez (shoulder) was ruled out ahead of Sunday's game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, head coach Mike Vrabel pointed to Woods as one of three players who would step into a larger role — no small vote of confidence for a young corner on a rebuilding team. New England ultimately fell to Jacksonville 35-6, but Woods' elevated standing in the depth chart is worth monitoring.

Courtland Sutton, now with Denver after years in the division, hauled in 3 catches for 46 yards in the Broncos' 30-26 win over the Rams on Sunday. The veteran wideout continues to be a reliable contributor as Denver pushes for ground in the AFC West.

Brandon Stephens (Jets) and Elijah Roberts (Buccaneers) also dressed for their respective clubs, with New York falling to Detroit 31-24 and Tampa Bay losing to Minnesota 23-16.

The Bigger Picture

SMU's NFL footprint is broader than most fans realize — nearly 30 alumni currently on active rosters across the league. But the Rice storyline is the one to watch. Week by week, the numbers tick up. The role expands. And in Kansas City, where championships are built on precision and trust, that kind of steady, coachable growth tends to get rewarded when the calendar turns to January.

Rashee Rice Is Becoming Mahomes' Most Dangerous Weapon

Two weeks into the season, Rashee Rice is quietly building a case for a breakout year — and SMU fans paying close attention know the ingredients have been there all along.

In Kansas City's 33-30 Week 2 win over the Colts, Rice hauled in 4 catches for 83 yards, a performance that looked even more impressive in context. According to Yahoo Sports, Rice's big play in Week 2 was directly set up by work done in Week 1 — a sign that the Chiefs' offense is operating with a layered, sequential design with Rice at the center of it. Through two games, he's totaled six receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown, numbers that are trending in the right direction even if the target share hasn't fully exploded yet.

What makes Rice's trajectory genuinely interesting isn't just the production — it's the new dimension he's added to his game. Per Heavy Sports, Rice has been excelling at run blocking this season, a skill that makes him a more complete receiver and opens up entirely new offensive packages for Kansas City. Run-blocking wide receivers don't just make the ground game more effective; they create the play-action setups that turn a good passing offense into a great one. For Rice, mastering that phase of the game is the unlock that could push him from dependable starter to elite-tier receiver.

Fantasy managers have been slow to buy in — Sports Illustrated notes he's currently sitting at WR26 with an underwhelming target share — but that framing may undersell where this is heading. As the Chiefs' passing volume expands and Rice's run-blocking credibility forces defenses to honor the run, expect his routes to open up in ways they simply didn't before.

Around the League

Rice isn't the only Mustang worth watching. Fellow Chief Brashard Smith suited up at running back in the same Colts game, though his statistical line wasn't recorded in the box score for the period.

In Denver, Courtland Sutton had a quieter afternoon — 3 catches for 25 yards — in the Broncos' 20-13 win over Jacksonville. Sports Illustrated highlighted that game as a potential history-making moment for the Denver offense, with Sutton named alongside Bo Nix as a key piece of a unit looking to take a step forward. The win matters even if the receiving numbers didn't pop.

In New Orleans, Zach Wood — the Saints' long snapper for the past decade — landed on injured reserve, ending a remarkable 10-year run with the franchise. Heavy Sports reported that Wood's absence forced the Saints to scramble for a replacement, only for the Chicago Bears to scoop up their new signing in short order. It's a quietly poignant footnote for an SMU alum who spent an entire career doing an unglamorous job at the highest level without missing a beat.

Brandon Stephens (Jets), Elijah Roberts (Buccaneers), and Charles Woods (Patriots) all saw action in Week 2, though none generated notable statistical lines in the tracking period.

The broader SMU story in the NFL right now belongs to Rice — and if the Chiefs' offense continues to develop the way it's trending, Mustang alumni may want to clear their Sunday afternoons.

Two of SMU's most prominent NFL alumni had weeks to forget as the 2026 season kicked off — one sidelined before it barely began, the other struggling in a blowout loss with a new set of captain's stripes on his jersey.

Zach Wood Lands on IR

Long snapper Zach Wood's 2026 season may already be in serious jeopardy. The Saints placed the SMU product on injured reserve with a calf injury shortly before Week 2, forcing New Orleans to scramble for immediate depth at long snapper. The team promoted running back CJ Donaldson and signed veteran long snapper Scott Daly to the practice squad as a contingency. With IR placements typically requiring a minimum absence of four weeks, Wood's availability for a significant stretch of the early season is very much in question. It's a brutal blow for a specialist who has been a dependable presence in New Orleans — and a reminder of how fragile a season can be for a player at that position, where one man is often the entire depth chart.

Sutton Named Captain — Then Gets Torched in Week 1

The honor came first. Courtland Sutton was named one of Denver's team captains heading into the 2026 season, joining Bo Nix and Wil Lutz among those given the designation. Sutton spoke publicly about what the title meant to him as Denver opened its campaign. Then came Monday night.

The Broncos were dismantled by Kansas City 31-10, and Sutton was largely a non-factor. The veteran wide receiver finished the game with just 2 receptions for 11 yards — a quiet night by any measure, let alone for a captain expected to be a central piece of Denver's offense. Bo Nix and company struggled throughout, and the team's offensive performance drew pointed reflection from multiple players postgame. Sutton himself addressed the loss, acknowledging the Broncos have significant corrections to make heading into Week 2 against Jacksonville.

The contract situation adds another layer of intrigue. The Broncos made an unspecified decision on Sutton's deal just before the Jaguars game — a move analysts have interpreted as either a vote of confidence in his future with the team or a cap-flexibility play, depending on the lens. Either way, Sutton enters Week 2 with something to prove after a Week 1 disappearing act.

On the Other Side of Sunday's Chiefs-Broncos Fallout

While Sutton struggled, fellow SMU alum Rashee Rice had the more satisfying Monday night. The Chiefs wideout caught 2 passes for 19 yards and found the end zone as Kansas City rolled to the 31-10 win. It wasn't a high-volume performance for Rice either, but he landed on the winning side and added a score — a meaningful step for a receiver looking to reassert himself as a key piece of Patrick Mahomes' arsenal. That touchdown could carry added significance if Tyreek Hill rumors — swirling around a potential return to Kansas City — end up changing the offensive landscape mid-season.

The Bigger Picture

SMU's NFL footprint is broad — nearly 30 former Mustangs are on active rosters across the league — but the first week of the season delivered more concern than celebration. Wood's IR designation and Sutton's rough debut are the two storylines Mustang fans will be watching most closely as the season unfolds. Week 2 offers both men — and the team behind them — a chance for a reset.