The Kansas City Chiefs simply have not had reliable enough wide receiver production over the past several seasons. Travis Kelce has been Patrick Mahomes’ top target for years, but KC has struggled to find the same consistency at the wide receiver position. Now the Chiefs enter this offseason with a clear need at the position, but very little cap space to work with. That means they need the wideouts already under contract to produce. Unfortunately for the Chiefs and Jalen Royals, that didn't happen in his rookie season.
Royals was viewed as a great pick for the Chiefs when they drafted him in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Some draft pundits even believed that Royals could have been taken as high as the second round. With good college production (1,900 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns in his final two seasons) and good physical tools, there was a lot to like. Then, when he was drafted by a team with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback and a need for wide receiver help, it seemed like the stars were aligning for Royals to find success in the NFL.
Despite an ideal situation, Royals was a complete non-factor in his rookie season. He was only active for seven of KC's 17 regular-season games. He played just 86 total offensive snaps and only managed three targets, two receptions, and four yards all season. He wasn't even able to earn a role on special teams, playing just 52 snaps there and returning one kickoff for 30 yards. That lack of production would be easier to swallow if KC had veterans who were thriving ahead of him, but Royals couldn't unseat guys like JuJu Smith-Schuster or Nikko Remigio for more playing time.
If Chiefs second-year wideout Jalen Royals wants to be part of the WR solution, he is going to have to prove it soon.
Now the Chiefs find themselves heading into an offseason where Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, and Royals are the only wideouts still under contract for next season (unless you count practice squad-level options like Jimmy Holliday and Andrew Armstrong). There are valid reasons to question if the Chiefs can count on Rashee Rice going forward, and Xavier Worthy has only proved himself to be a speedy role player at this point. With those kinds of question marks ahead of him, KC would benefit from Royals breaking out in his sophomore season.
A big reason it would be so helpful is that KC doesn't have a lot of cap space available to spend on the position. Even after clearing over $40 million in space by restructuring Patrick Mahomes’ deal, the Chiefs still aren't under the cap for next season. They have lots of roster spots to fill and will have to be really smart with their cap dollars. Yes, a reunion with the recently released Tyreek Hill seems like a perfect match, but despite interest from both sides, it may not be financially feasible.
The Chiefs could also spend an early draft pick on a wideout, but there are plenty of other positions they may be looking to target as well, and they won't want to go into the draft feeling like they are forced to take a position even if the guys they like are already off the board. Besides, who is to say that a rookie will earn Andy Reid's trust any more than Royals did as a rookie last season?
The bottom line is that the Chiefs and Royals desperately need things to work out in year two, or you have to imagine that it may never happen. It probably isn't a great sign that the Chiefs refused to give Royals more playing time late in the season, even after they were out of the playoffs and the veterans ahead of him were struggling to produce, but some players do take longer than others to adjust to the NFL.
Hopefully Royals spends this offseason studying his playbook and getting into the best shape of his life. Both Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes like receivers who know where to be on every play, and you have to at least wonder if a lack of reliability was the primary reason that KC wouldn't get him on the field more, even when they were hurting to find weapons in the passing game.
If Royals can come into camp in year two with a good knowledge of the system, that should at least give him a shot. There is plenty of room for him to earn a role next season, but this could already be his last chance. Here's hoping he makes the most of it.