Royals caught both of his targets for six yards and a touchdown while logging two tackles on kick coverage in Sunday's 33-30 overtime win against the Colts.
Royals made an impact on his 12 offensive snaps and seven special-teams snaps. The wide receiver scored the Chiefs' last touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter on a 1-yard pass. The fourth-round rookie may see an uptick in usage if coach Andy Reid finds new ways to use the speedy young player as the season develops.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Inactive again Week 9
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Royals (coach's decision) is a healthy scratch for Sunday's battle against the Bills, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
Royals is inactive as a coach's decision for the second straight week. The rookie wideout has logged 35 offensive snaps over four games this season and has yet to draw a target.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Healthy scratch Week 8
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Royals (coach's decision) is inactive for Monday's game against the Commanders.
Royals was a healthy scratch for the Chiefs' first three games of the regular season before making his NFL debut against the Ravens in Week 4. He hasn't recorded a target in each of Kansas City's last four games and will observe Monday's game on the sidelines in street clothes. Royals' next opportunity to play is Week 9 against the Bills on Sunday.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Sees first pro action in Week 4
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Royals accrued zero targets during Sunday's 37-20 win against the Ravens.
Royals didn't accumulate any snaps in any of the first three weeks, but the Chiefs took hold of a sizable lead against the Ravens, enough so that in the second half, the bench players got into the mix. Royals remains buried on the depth chart at this juncture, and there's little reason to anticipate that changing, especially with Rashee Rice's six-game suspension expiring prior to the Week 7 clash with the Raiders.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: NFL debut in Week 3?
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Royals (knee) is listed as questionable ahead of Sunday's matchup against the Giants.
Despite practicing in full both Thursday and Friday, Royals is still questionable to play in Sunday's contest. The 2025 fourth-round pick from Utah State has yet to make his NFL debut after posting 126 receptions for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns over his final two seasons in college. If Royals is able to take the field in Week 3, he'll likely play a depth role in the Chiefs' wide receiver corps.
Royals (knee) was a limited participant in Wednesday's practice.
Royals is practicing for the first time since having missed Kansas City's first two games of the regular season due to knee tendinitis, so to see him handling even limited reps is encouraging. The rookie fourth-round pick will work to continue progressing at practice and gain clearance in time to suit up Sunday night on the road against the Giants.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Set to work at practice Wednesday
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Coach Andy Reid said that Royals (knee) is in line to practice Wednesday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
Royals, who has been managing knee tendinitis, is thus moving toward a potential return to action after missing the Chiefs' first two regular-season games. Once available, the 2025 fourth-rounder figures to compete with Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster for WR snaps that don't go to Xavier Worthy (shoulder) and Hollywood Brown.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Remains sidelined Tuesday
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Royals (knee) remained sidelined for Tuesday's practice, Charles Goldman of AtoZSports.com reports.
Royals is battling knee tendinitis and missed the Chiefs' final preseason contest. Coach Andy Reid indicated Tuesday that Royals' return isn't imminent, according to Goldman. His availability for Week 1 against the Chargers on Sept. 5 appears to be in question. Royals' early-season role is to be determined behind Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown (ankle) and JuJu Smith-Schuster.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: DNP due to knee tendinitis
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Royals (knee tendinitis) won't practice Monday, Matt McMullen of the Chiefs' official site reports.
It remains to be seen whether Royals' knee tendinitis is something he can manage and possibly play through, but this injury has cropped up at an unfortunate time, with Kansas City's Sept. 5 regular-season opener against the Chargers fast approaching. The rookie fourth-round pick had been receiving some first-team reps in practice as Kansas City deals with numerous injuries to its receiving corps, and Royals has contributed 75 yards on two kickoff returns through two preseason games, in addition to catching three of five targets for 14 yards. The Chiefs will wrap up preseason play Friday against the Bears.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Totals 40 all-purpose yards in loss
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Royals brought in three of five targets for 14 yards and returned one kickoff for 26 yards in the Chiefs' 20-17 preseason loss to the 49ers on Saturday night.
The rookie fourth-round pick was solid in his first taste of professional game action, and he logged a team-high target total while also tying for the lead in receptions. Royals will presumably have a steep climb to meaningful playing time as long as the Chiefs' top four receivers are available, but he could certainly see expanded opportunity whenever Rashee Rice serves what's expected to be a multi-game suspension.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Sees some first-team reps
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Royals logged most of his repetitions during Wednesday's practice with the first-team offense, Nate Taylor of ESPN.com reports.
Taylor notes that Royals fared well Wednesday while running routes alongside fellow wideouts Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown. The report adds that the rookie fourth-rounder was often on the field when Rashee Rice wasn't, which is worth noting given the possibility Rice may be suspended by the NFL before the start of the season.
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Chiefs' Jalen Royals: Picked up by Kansas City
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The Chiefs selected Royals in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 133rd overall.
Royals spent his three-year college career at Utah State, and as a starter in his final two seasons he accumulated 126 catches for 1,914 yards and 21 touchdowns over 20 games. He was named to the First Team All-MWC roster in 2023 after leading the team in receiving yards (1,080) while setting a single-season school record with 15 receiving touchdowns. Royals suffered a season-ending right foot injury in October but was able to recover in time to participate in the Senior Bowl. He led the FBS with 10 catches of 50-plus yards over the past two seasons, and that big-play ability should translate well to the Chiefs' high-powered offense. Patrick Mahomes gets another offensive weapon in Royals, who will look to establish a role for himself in the passing attack alongside Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice (knee), Hollywood Brown and Travis Kelce.
