This past weekend, NFL head coaches and owners gathered at the Annual League Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona. Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid answered some questions from NFL Senior National Columnist Judy Battista.
He reiterated the hard work being done by quarterback Patrick Mahomes to return to the field
as soon as possible in 2026 before sharing his thoughts on the overall changes made to the roster this offseason.
He revealed his impressions of the receiving corps the team has built for Mahomes, backup quarterback Justin Fields, and the offense as a whole.
Regardless of any needs the Chiefs might have to fill, Reid projects calmness moving forward. He’s not worried about corners. He told Battista he won’t force an addition at edge rusher, and that Kansas City is “in a better position than most teams” at wide receiver.
Currently, the team employs six receivers who have regular-season experience:
- Rashee Rice
- Xavier Worthy
- Tyquan Thornton
- Jalen Royals
- Nikko Remigio
- Jason Brownlee
The rest of the wide receivers on the 90-man offseason roster are Jimmy Holiday and Andrew Armstrong, totaling eight as of now.
For the 2026 season, Reid’s logic is strong. Despite the off-field headlines Rice stirs up, he is a high-volume playmaker in Kansas City’s offense who could lead the position room in production in an elite version of the Chiefs’ offense.
Worthy and Thornton have shown flashes downfield that can be a bigger part of the offense than they were in the 2025 season. Each has the advantage of game-breaking, linear speed that can open up things underneath for Rice and tight end Travis Kelce — if the deep-pass opportunities are executed more often.
Then there is Royals, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the 133rd overall selection. He technically made two starts during his rookie campaign, but he didn’t see a pass thrown his way until the Week 18 season finale, when he caught two of three targets and managed four yards.
A few weeks into last year’s training camp, Reid seemed to be pleased with how Royals was progressing when asked about it.
“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.”
With his rookie year behind him, Royals could be a bigger part of Kansas City’s plans in 2o26 than it feels like currently. Is he the key to Reid’s vote of confidence in the state of the position?
No matter how high the head coach’s confidence is in the receivers for 2026, there is clearly work to be done for the long-term outlook of the position. Investment at the position through the draft could happen with the 2027 and 2028 seasons in mind, more so than the 2026 campaign.
With that in mind, selecting a receiver with the No. 9 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft may not fit Reid’s vision as well as another position could.
