Chiefs team reporter Matt McMullen recapped Thursday's practice session with news that Royals had what he considered to be the "play of the day."
"Wide receiver Jalen Royals was one of the standouts of the practice," McMullen wrote. "He made several catches during both 7-on-7 and 11-on-11 drills, including one catch – a strong, leaping grab in the back of end zone – that was probably the best play of the day."
According to Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney, this specific portion of practice was all red zone work. Noah Gray was the only other player to catch a Mahomes touchdown pass during this period. Royals was targeted once during 11-on-11 drills with the first-team offense, according to Sweeney, with Mahomes' day ending on a red zone touchdown to Royals.
I think the most notable thing about Royals' practice session is that his standout plays came in the red zone. While Royals had a down year in 2024 due to a foot injury, remember that he had the second-most receiving touchdowns in the NCAA in 2023 (15), next to only LSU WR Brian Thomas Jr. (17). Royals is known for his shiftiness and yard-after-catch ability, but becoming a threat to score with contested leaping grabs in the end zone? That'd be a very positive development for the rookie.
Chiefs WR Jalen Royals already moving his way up the depth chart?
While the absence of players like Rashee Rice and Hollywood Brown certainly created more opportunities for others to work with the first-team offense, Royals has quickly made an impression on the coaching staff. Media members only get to see the final day of practice, which means they see a culmination of the week's work. That's important context to note in this particular instance, with a rookie learning a new system.
I'm told that the Royals didn't start the practice week out getting repetitions with the first-team offense. However, that quickly changed after he took full advantage of his opportunities working with Gardner Minshew and the second-team offense. While this is a good sign in the interim, we're still in the earliest portion of voluntary offseason workouts. Royals must keep it up if he's to get work with the first-team offense when others return to the lineup and when the pads come on during training camp.
