Jalen Royals is gaining the trust of Patrick Mahomes — and his teammates

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Over the last two years, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has turned in less-than-spectacular passing numbers — even as he led his team to the Super Bowl in each of those seasons.

But general manager Brett Veach has continued to add wide receiver talent to the team. In 2023, SMU’s Rashee Rice fell just short of becoming the first Kansas City rookie to collect 1,000 receiving yards. Unfortunately, he was also the only wideout to total at least 500 on the season.

In 2024, first-round draft

pick Xavier Worthy unexpectedly had to shoulder the load after Rice was injured in Week 4. By then, the team had already lost recently signed wideout Hollywood Brown to injury on the opening snap of the preseason. Mahomes ended up hitting career lows in both passing yards and touchdowns.

But Rice, Worthy and Brown are all back for 2025 — and Veach has added fourth-round pick Jalen Royals to the roster. Halfway through training camp, the former Utah State wide receiver is drawing terrific reviews from his coaches — and from his teammates.

Photo by Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

“He’s catching the football well,” noted head coach Andy Reid after Sunday’s training camp practice at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. “[He’s] strong [and] looks like the quarterbacks trust him. That’s a big part of it. As you watch, you just kind of see who the quarterbacks are going to, and there’s a certain trust that they’re developing in that kid. So, that kind of speaks for itself.”

“I think he is a visualizer,” observed offensive coordinator Matt Nagy after the first week of camp. “So when he sees it, it takes him one time. Then the next time, he comes back and does a good job.”

“He is learning real fast,” said Rice on Saturday. “I wouldn’t necessarily say he is like me — because he is his own person — but he is going to be a dog his rookie year, for sure.”

JuJu Smith-Schuster — who is now the wide receiver room’s most experienced veteran — characterized him as a strong, quiet player who works very hard.

“He’s a guy that’s going to show up every day and just work,” he declared. “He doesn’t say a whole lot. He’s very coachable. He’s a sponge. He’s a great dude to be around in that room.”

Brown is the room’s other “old hand” — and sees the same thing.

“[He’s] a quick learner,” he told reporters last week. “He’s taken advantage of his opportunities, making plays. I think he’s going to make some plays for us.”

In contrast, quarterback Patrick Mahomes has thus far chosen to display his confidence in Royals where it counts the most: on the field.

In 7-on-7, Mahomes connected with WR Jalen Royals on a beautiful back-shoulder pass. Royals had an impressive week and continues to see time on the field with Mahomes and the first-team offense. Watson had another breakup in 7s on a Mahomes ball intended for TE Travis Kelce.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) July 25, 2025

#Chiefs have a tunnel screen called for Jalen Royals, Mahomes has good touch on it. It may have gone the distance in a game. #ChiefsCamp2025

— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) August 2, 2025

Vs. air, but Mahomes connected with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Jalen Royals for TDs on back-to-back plays.

— Nick Roesch (@Nicolas_Roesch) July 23, 2025

This connection with Mahomes is happening because Royals is working hard to create it — by “learning from him and [doing] what he says.”

“In the meeting room,” the rookie told reporters on Sunday, “[Mahomes] tells me everything I need to do. Then, after the meetings — while I’m just out here — he’ll tell me corrections and stuff like that. Then obviously, after the play, he’ll let me know on the sidelines.”

But that’s not to say that Royals yet enjoys the kind of relationship with his quarterback that someone like tight end Travis Kelce enjoys.

“It’s complicated,” he explained. “I’m still a rookie at the end of the day, so I’m trying to learn everything — and he’s wanting me to be up to speed. So it’s just balancing that.”

Still, this is a far cry from what we typically hear from young wide receivers in Reid’s offense, who are often struggling to master the playbook — much less take direction from Mahomes.

Royals credits the veterans around him for their support.

“It’s great having those type of guys,” he said of teammates like Smith-Schuster, Brown, Rice and Worthy. “I feel like they provide a great mental aspect to me. They’re always pushing me to keep going — even when the long drive drill is tough. Then, even in the meetings, they’re correcting me when I [make] mistakes.”

And he’s building a brotherhood with his fellow rookies, too.

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

“We’re all in the same dorm,” he reminded his listeners. “We’re all right there, so we’re all going through this process together — learning the playbook, learning how coach Reid likes his offense and [how] coach [Connor] Embree runs his receiver room. We’re all just learning — and trying to stick together.”

When the NFL season begins in September, Rice will almost certainly be the team’s top receiver — and there’s a good chance his looming NFL suspension may sideline him for an unknown number of games. With every practice, Royals comes closer to being someone who can play a significant role in filling that void — and helping Mahomes (along with the rest of his new teammates) get back to the top of the heap.

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