Similar to last season, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ offense isn’t operating at peak capacity. That’s largely due to pieces being out of the lineup, which didn’t take long for the second year in a row.
This time around, it’s rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals and second-year man Xavier Worthy who are banged up. The former has yet to make his NFL debut, which generates plenty of uncertainty early in the year.
With Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles approaching, will Royals suit up? Head coach Andy Reid addressed the possibility on Wednesday.
Andy Reid Not Expecting WR Jalen Royals to Play vs. Eagles
Reid started his media availability by saying the Royals-Worthy duo is the only segment of players who won’t practice.
“As far as injuries go, we’ve got Jalen Royals and Xavier Worthy,” Reid said. “Those two won’t practice today. Both are doing better. They’re working on it and making progress, but not ready to go today for sure.”
Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that Royals will debut in Week 2.
“Yeah, probably not,” Reid said. “It’d be a stretch.”
This marks another projected absence for Royals, who was ruled out of Week 1’s Brazil game against the Los Angeles Chargers before the team even left town. The fourth-round pick is battling knee tendonitis, not participating in recent practices as a result. Kansas City presumably didn’t want him to face extensive travel and ramping up to play, which was widely viewed as a wise call.
Worthy, of course, is dealing with a dislocated shoulder. Reid said short-term injured reserve isn’t on the table at the moment, nor is surgery. Still, the 2024 first-round selection isn’t out of the woods by any stretch. He got hurt in Week 1 during an on-field collision with tight end Travis Kelce.
Reid believes the Chiefs’ in-game replacements did fine.
“Listen, I thought all the guys did a good job,” Reid said. “They kept us in the game there. I thought they did well catching the ball and had a few yards after the catch, JuJu [Smith-Schuster] included in that bunch. Hollywood [Brown] had a big day. It was good to get him back in the swing [of things].”
Chiefs Proud of Other Receivers for Rising to Occasion Given Injuries
Following up Reid’s availability, quarterback Patrick Mahomes echoed a similar sentiment. Worthy was a big-time part of the Chiefs’ game plan, which forced them to make a massive adjustment under stressful circumstances. The results eventually arrived, despite a loss, which is a positive.
Mahomes tipped his cap to players like Brown, Smith-Schuster and Tyquan Thornton for adapting.
“I think it’s more just getting guys into the right spots,” Mahomes said. “Obviously, you try to rep and give guys opportunities at every single receiver position, but there’s limited reps. When you have an injury, you have guys going in [at] different spots they haven’t got those reps in [at] before. I thought the guys did well, as the game went on, of adjusting to that, stepping up and making plays. I thought they did really good in that second half of giving us a chance to go out there and try to get a win.”
In Week 1’s loss, Brown led all Chiefs pass catchers with 10 receptions for 99 yards. He was followed up by Smith-Schuster’s 5 grabs for 55 yards and Kelce’s 2 for 47. Thornton had a pair of catches and 41 yards, carried by a 38-yard snag in the second quarter.
Assuming Royals’ first real NFL game is delayed once again, it’ll be all (available) hands on deck this weekend.
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