Chiefs rotating two new WRs with 1st-team offense. What Andy Reid thinks of both
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Chiefs test Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Royals with first-team offense reps.
- Andy Reid praises Thornton’s speed, effort and growing trust from Mahomes.
- Royals earns early praise for playbook retention and physical receiving style.
The Kansas City Chiefs — at some point soon — are likely to be without top receiver Rashee Rice as an NFL suspension looms for his role in a 2024 road-racing crash.
That reality means someone will have an opportunity to emerge in a third receiver role next to projected starters Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown.
And through three training camp practices? There’s been at least some indication of whom the Chiefs might be favoring for that spot.
Rotating in with the first team — so far — has been a pair of potential newcomers to the active roster: fourth-year pro Tyquan Thornton and rookie Jalen Royals.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Thornton was especially active during Thursday’s practice, taking the first rep of 11-on-11 drills then later securing a deep throw from quarterback Patrick Mahomes down the sideline.
Thornton, a second-round pick of the Patriots in 2022, joined the Chiefs’ practice squad late last season. He also had a standout sideline catch in Wednesday’s practice.
“I like what I’ve seen. He’s working hard at it,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Thornton on Thursday. “He’s made some big catches out here, working his routes, playing physical in his transition game there. So he’s just gotta keep coming. We’re still young in this thing, so we’ve got to keep bringing it here.”
Thornton is known most for his speed. The Baylor product ran a 4.28-second 40-yard dash in 2022, which at the time was a top-10 mark in NFL Combine history.
The Chiefs also could potentially utilize Thornton on special teams. He was a gunner for the punt team during summer drills, and on Thursday, he was a part of the team’s kick-return rotation as well.
Thornton previously received praise from Reid on June 19.
“I like the way he’s approached things. He’s got the quarterback’s trust, which ... that’s a positive thing,” Reid said then. “He got valuable reps in here. The other guys could see that he’s a talented guy.”
Royals, meanwhile, potentially could help the Chiefs in a different receiver role.
Reid has said Royals — the Chiefs’ fourth-round pick from April — has characteristics more similar to Rice in that he has a stout lower body and is strong overall.
Also of note: Reid has been pleased with Royals’ early knowledge of the playbook, saying he’s shown an ability to retain much of what KC’s coaches have taught him.
“That’s a good sign. And then he’s made some catches. You’ve seen it out here. He’s made some catches,” Reid said Thursday. “Does he have a long way to go? Yeah, we’ve just got to keep working, and work through all of this. And we’ll see how it goes when everything’s flying.”
It hasn’t gone perfectly for Thornton and Royals. Mahomes had separate passes sail wide of both receivers on Wednesday; the quarterback read the defense differently than his wideouts while wanting them to alter their routes more toward the sideline.
The Chiefs have other options for their third receiver role as well. Also rotating in to get some first-string reps has been Skyy Moore, a 2022 second-round pick who has fallen short of expectations in his first three seasons.
KC also has veteran JuJu Smith-Schuster, in his ninth season, on the roster if needed as a reliable target.
