The Kansas City Chiefs kept Jalen Royals on the sidelines for much of the 2025 season, with the rookie playing few snaps and only getting two receptions the entire season. Still, there is reason for a level of optimism around Royals as the 2025 fourth-round pick flashed in minicamp and was given a chance to perform with the starters due to Rashee Rice being away from the team. Royals took full advantage of the opportunity and showed why there was so much excitement around him just a season ago.
Much has changed in the last year, with Royals gaining experience as well as benefiting from the departures of Hollywood Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Add in the fact that Rice cannot be relied on due to a history of injuries and poor decisions, and the Chiefs are clearly relying on Royals to step into a meaningful role in his second campaign.
For Royals, this speaks to the level of trust gained from the coaching staff, with rookie Cyrus Allen being the only meaningful offseason addition made at the receiver position. If KC didn't have a high level of belief in Royals, it's hard to argue they would be so content with the current core in place.
Chiefs clearly setting Jalen Royals for breakout 2026 season
The Chiefs understand that they cannot rely on Rice, with the 26-year-old, despite having an elite ceiling, remaining a liability off the field. There is no defense of the poor decisions the receiver continues to make, but a piece of this is the opportunities that it creates for other players, with Royals falling into this bucket and now being set for a breakout season as a contributing piece of Andy Reid's offense.
What will be interesting to watch is how quickly the chemistry develops with Mahomes, as the quarterback has proven to be able to very quickly adjust to new weapons. Royals taking a leap and being a viable third or fourth option is the expectation, with Xavier Worthy and Rice expected to be the primary weapons at the position.
Royals is physical after the catch and has incredibly strong hands that should quickly foster trust with Mahomes. There's no denying the clear fit appears to be in the works, and the offseason in an offseason that has put Royals into an expected breakout role. One that has a chance to wipe away Kansas City's concerns at the position and establish a needed star presence.
Add us as a preferred source on Google