On Wednesday, the Kansas City Chiefs were informed by the NFL that wide receiver Rashee Rice will be suspended for the first six games of the 2025 regular season for violating the league's personal conduct policy. Rice recently pleaded guilty to two felony charges stemming from a March 2024 multicar crash that left multiple people injured.
And on Friday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced that the three-time defending AFC champs will also likely be without the services of rookie wideout Jalen Royals for their Week 1 matchup next Friday in Brazil against the Los Angeles Chargers, as the Georgia native continues to battle knee tendinitis.
Jalen Royals won't suit up for Chiefs in Week 1 vs. Chargers
Taken by Kansas City in the fourth round of this past April's draft with the 133rd overall pick, the Utah State alum saw four targets in the team's preseason opener against the Arizona Cardinals, catching three of them for 14 yards.
He suited up the following week against the Seattle Seahawks but took just eight total snaps, six on offense and two on special teams, and didn't have a pass thrown in his direction.
Royals sat out the Chiefs' finale against the Chicago Bears last Saturday, and there was some speculation that he could start the regular season on injured reserve, which never came to fruition. Reid said Friday that he didn't want to rush the 22-year-old back onto the field before he was truly ready, thus giving Patrick Mahomes one fewer weapon against the Bolts in Brazil.
With Rice and Royals both out, the Chiefs' pass-catcher corps currently consists of Xavier Worthy, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Hollywood Brown, Tyquan Thornton, Nikko Remigio, and Jason Brownlee at receiver and Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Robert Tonyan, and Jared Wiley at tight end.
So, while the Chargers' defense will still have some things to worry about in São Paulo, the chances of the Bolts getting off to a 1-0 start look a lot better than they would with Rice and Royals in the lineup.