Kansas City Chiefs fans are going to love the latest OTAs headlines. Rookie receiver Jalen Royals has wasted zero time making an impressive quickly, forcing his way up the team's depth chart and perhaps even into the starting rotation. A big piece of this is due to the question marks surrounding star receiver Rashee Rice. The Chiefs badly need a third option to step up behind their current starting receivers. Royals have had the desired performance and left Kansas City fans feeling far better about the team's current depth at the position.
Since Tyreek Hill's departure, the offense has remained content to piece the position together throughout the season. When the worst groups in recent memory resulted in the Chiefs winning back-to-back Super Bowls, it is hard to complain. However, it would be nice to see Mahomes handed enough weapons not to need late heroics each week, as the team did in the 2024 season. With this in mind, Royals is going to be given every chance to prove he can play a meaningful role.
Kansas City Chiefs Rookie Receiver Jalen Royals was Handed a Chance to Work with the Team Starters
The Chiefs got a glimpse of what rookie WR Jalen Royals can do during the first group of OTAs last week. With the second week of practices starting today, Andy Reid, Matt Nagy, and Patrick Mahomes will seek consistency from Royals.https://t.co/Us2v5Bu0lI pic.twitter.com/ZIpJ3j44sf
— Charles Goldman (@goldmctNFL) June 2, 2025
Royals having such a quick ascension shouldn't come as a surprise when considering the potential fit with Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes. What the rookie does well fits the duo perfectly and is exactly the reason why the Chiefs were so excited to make the pick.
The rookie receiver earning his way into starting reps is due to both performance and the injury concerns the team is currently facing. Regardless of how the rookie earned the position, it is a chance to put himself into the team's early starting rotation and earn the trust of Reid and Mahomes. It appears we are already on this path with how well he has performed.
If the receiver is able to overcome his average speed, there is every reason to believe he can be an above average contributor to this Kansas City lineup. What Mahomes and Reid are going to love most about the young pass catcher is the fight for the football. It is a needed trait due to the lack of foot speed that is going to make consistent separation difficult at this level.
Royals is going to need to earn the trust of Mahomes throughout the summer and continue on his current trajectory. If that happens, Chiefs fans might be in for an early surprise with the receiver quickly pushing his way into the Kansas City offense.