We are 68 days away from the Kansas City Chiefs
‘ season-opening game against the Denver Broncos on “Monday Night Football” in Week 1.The No. 68 jersey is not officially retired by the franchise, but it absolutely should be.
The all-time No. 68 in Chiefs history
Will Shields (1993 – 2006)
Somehow, Shields’ Chiefs career stretched from the opportunity to play with quarterback Joe Montana to playing under head coach Herm Edwards.
A member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Shields went to 12 Pro Bowls, was honored as a first-team All-Pro twice, and was named to the Hall of Fame All-2000s
team. He also won the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2003.
He never played a snap for any other franchise over 14 seasons and was the right guard during a time when it felt like the Chiefs’ offensive line was as dominant as any in the NFL and as any in franchise history, opening up run lanes for running back Priest Holmes during his stretch as one of the most productive backs the league had ever witnessed up until that point.
68%: The rate at which Jalen Royals aligned out wide as a rookie
It was a small sample size, but over the 38 pass snaps Royals played for the Chiefs in his rookie year, he aligned out wide in the formation, according to Pro Football Focus.
That is consistent with his usage as a playmaker at Utah State: in 2024, Royals aligned on the outside for 78% of his pass snaps, and in 2023, that number was 91%.
It’s a positive indicator for Royals, simply because the Chiefs’ wide receiver room is mostly stocked with players who work best as slot receivers, whether it’s Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy or rookie Cyrus Allen, who aligned in the slot for 92% of his pass snaps at the University of Cincinnati in 2025.
If Royals can prove himself as an outside receiver, he could share more snaps with wide receiver Tyquan Thornton as the X-receiver than it feels he will at this point in the offseason.
