It hasn’t been the year the Kansas City Chiefs had in mind, but some of that can be turned around against the New York Giants on the national stage.
Sunday Night Football brings a matchup between a pair of 0-2 teams seeking their first victory of the 2025-26 campaign. The reigning AFC champions come into Week 3 at less than 100%, but there is some good news as the weekend winds down. Rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals is set to make his regular-season debut.
Kansas City’s list of inactive players for Sunday include wideout Xavier Worthy, tight end Jared Wiley, running back Elijah Mitchell, center Hunter Nourzad, defensive end Mike Danna and cornerback Kristian Fulton.
Chiefs WR Jalen Royals to Make NFL Debut on Sunday Night Football
At long last, Royals will play for the Chiefs in a real game. The fourth-round pick out of Utah State was active for two August preseason outings, but knee tendonitis limited him after that. He missed multiple weeks of practice, not even traveling with the club to Sao Paulo for Week 1’s NFL Brazil contest against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Fortunately for Royals, he eventually returned to practice and progressed to full participation. After being limited on Wednesday, he was a 100% participant on both Thursday and Friday. On its weekly injury report, Kansas City designated him as “questionable” for the weekend.
Speaking to the media on Friday, head coach Andy Reid said Royals looked good in practice.
“We’ll see how it goes,” Reid said. “I know questions will be [about] Xavier and so on. I’ve just got to see. I mean, he practiced today and did a good job. Jalen Royals practiced today. Both of them ran around pretty good. We’ll just see how it goes.”
Royals recorded 3 receptions for 14 yards during the preseason. Expecting him to be the savior of the offense is foolish, but there could be a package of plays for him once he gets his legs under him. He’s a solid athlete with good long speed and respectable length for the position.
Kansas City Down 2 Key Defenders in Week 3 Against Giants
On the flip side, the Chiefs have some bad news on the injury front as well. Both Danna and Fulton will miss Week 3, which was confirmed when the team ruled them out in advance of Sunday’s contest.
Danna, a sixth-year man, is nursing a quad ailment. In two games this season, he has just 2 tackles (1 for loss) and no other significant stats to note. The former fifth-round pick spent most of last season hindered by injury, so this is another tough shake for him. Kansas City is already down 2023 first-rounder Felix Anudike-Uzomah, so expect someone like Charles Omenihu or rookie Ashton Gillotte to get an extended look in Danna’s absence.
Fulton continues to be banged up after missing a good chunk of training camp due to a knee issue. This time, it’s his ankle that’s bothering him. The offseason free agent pickup played just two defensive snaps in Week 2’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles before exiting. He, like Danna, missed every practice this week.
Without Fulton, the duo of Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson will be complemented by players like rookie Nohl Williams and perhaps veteran Joshua Williams.
Updates on Xavier Worthy & Rashee Rice as Season Rolls on
Of course, Worthy is a headliner of Sunday’s injury list. The second-year man suffered a dislocated shoulder in Week 1 upon colliding with tight end Travis Kelce. Since returning to practice, he’s been nothing more than a limited participant.
Worthy originally came into Week 3’s game with a questionable designation, but the Chiefs downgraded him to out on Saturday. He’ll need at least one more week of rehab before getting back on the field in an in-game scenario. Advancing to full participation in practice would be a massive step in the right direction.
As wide receiver Rashee Rice continues to serve his six-game suspension, there’s a small silver lining on that front. On Sunday morning, Ian Rapoport of NFL media reported that the third-year pass catcher is allowed back in the building this week. Rice can’t practice, but he’s allowed to be present for meetings.
As the Chiefs work back to as close to full strength as possible, that’s another nice development.
Chiefs Make Final Call on Rookie’s NFL Debut for Week 3 vs. Giants