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Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs wide receivers Mac Dalena (84) and Jalen Royals (11) walk down the hill to the practice fields during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

How Jalen Royals Can Capitalize on Red-and-Golden Opportunity

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Jul 28, 2025 10:00 AM ET

Andy Reid confirmed the obvious after Sunday’s practice. Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs will look to hit Xavier Worthy on explosive deep routes. How they’ll use rookie Jalen Royals is not as cut and dry.

Should the NFL, as expected, suspend Rashee Rice for multiple games, Royals seems to be the receiver Kansas City is grooming to bridge that gap. Worthy said Royals will be ready.

“He's a fast learner,” Worthy said after the first full-pads practice on Sunday. “He gets out there, doesn't make too many mistakes. Obviously, he's a rookie so he's going to make a little bit of mistakes, a mental error here or there. He's playing well, he's doing good, and he's taking advantage of his opportunities.”

Something in common with Josh Simmons

A 6-0, 205-pound target from Utah State, Royals was the Chiefs’ 133rd-overall selection in the fourth round. Like Josh Simmons, injury cut short his final year and likely led to his draft slide. Before he injured his foot in 2024, he finished the 2023 campaign as the nation’s only player with at least 70 receptions and 15-plus touchdown catches.

“Yeah, he looks like he’s a sharp kid,” Reid said last month. “He works hard, he’s strong – a little bit like Rashee in that way. … He’s got a little bit more beef to him, thick lower body. But, again, strong, and he picks stuff up. He doesn’t say a whole lot. Very, very quiet, but he picks things up and does a nice job with it.”

If the Chiefs need Royals early in the year, the hope is he’ll be able to complement Travis Kelce, Hollywood Brown and Worthy in creating more explosive plays. Combined with better protection, the Chiefs are hoping that’s the winning recipe. Kansas City’s lack of offensive burst has handcuffed the team since the Chiefs traded Tyreek Hill to Miami.

Returning to Chiefs' explosive past

Part of returning to that explosive past, Reid said, is fooling defenses. To that end, the Chiefs will continue to work Worthy in short and intermediate game, even though everyone knows about his world-class speed. Worthy explained why versatility is critical.

“If they try to take the underneath,” Worthy said, “then we can obviously hit them deep. We’ve got two-way weapons.

“It just doesn't make you one-dimensional. Obviously learning that, learning off of guys like Rashee in the offense, obviously his short game and his intermediate game is really strong. Travis is another guy to learn off of. So, I got great guys to learn from every day.”

And so does Royals, like Hill, a Day 3 Chiefs draft pick. Getting back to the Mahomes-Kelce-Hill identity will behoove the Chiefs, everyone seems to agree.

In 58 games with Mahomes and Hill on the same field from 2017-21, the quarterback compiled a 106.0 career passer rating, with 17,254 yards, 143 touchdown passes, and 36 interceptions. Hill earned Pro Bowl honors each of those seasons and All-Pro selections in 2018 and 2020.

The No. 1 source for breaking news from Chiefs training camp is OnSI; the best way to get it is to follow @KCChiefsOnSI and @Domminchella on X (Twitter). And, don’t forget to discuss the Chiefs’ efforts to return to the days of Tyreek Hill by visiting our Facebook page (here).

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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