Wednesday Injury Report: Chiefs Rule Out Rookie for Opener

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – As of this writing, the Chiefs’ team charter is somewhere over the Gulf of America on its way to Brazil. But one player not on board the 11-hour flight is rookie wide receiver Jalen Royals.

League rules require teams to disclose which players don’t travel with the team at the time of departure, and Kansas City ruled Royals out before leaving town early Wednesday morning.

The knee tendinitis that flared up during the Aug. 15 preseason game at Seattle will keep the fourth-round selection from making his NFL debut against the Chargers on Friday in São Paulo, Brazil (7 p.m. CT, YouTube, KSHB-TV 41, 96.5 The Fan). He hasn’t practiced since that Seahawks game.

League rules required the #Chiefs to declare OUT any players who didn't board their Brazil-bound plane this morning. Rookie WR Jalen Royals won't play. KC won't practice today, but here's the full Wed. report with estimations. pic.twitter.com/R72eknSiJ6
— Zak Gilbert (@zaksgilbert) September 3, 2025

Wednesday practice report

The Chiefs also issued their second practice report of the week. Because the entire day was required to travel to South America, Kansas City won’t practice on Wednesday and instead issued an estimation for injured players as though the Chiefs did practice. Other than ruling Royals out, the team’s injury report is the same as Tuesday.

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Utah State wideout Jalen Royals (WO38) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Kansas City will hold a walk-through on Thursday, head coach Andy Reid said, and attempt to provide somewhat of a normal day-before-game football schedule.

The Chargers got a head start on Kansas City, leaving Los Angeles about 12 hours earlier Tuesday evening. They opted for a red-eye flight, traveling overnight. The flight time from Los Angeles to São Paulo is approximately 12 hours, 47 minutes.

And unlike the Chiefs, Los Angeles took every player on its charter. Kansas City is remarkably healthy entering the game but the Chargers are in even better shape. Jim Harbaugh listed only two players – running back Najee Harris (eye, full) and defensive back Elijah Molden (knee, limited) on his practice report Tuesday.

tuesday’s #KCvsLAC injury report pic.twitter.com/fkwojmuXee
— Los Angeles Chargers (@chargers) September 2, 2025

The Chargers are expected to issue their Wednesday report following their workout in Brazil.

Brown, Harris should be good to go

Like Kansas City’s Hollywood Brown, who missed most of the preseason with an ankle injury, Harris only recently returned to practice.

May 12, 2025; El Segundo, CA, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Najee Harris (22) carries the ball during offseason workouts at The Bolt. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The veteran running back, who signed a one-year, fully guaranteed $5.25 million contract in free agency, is expected to make his Chargers debut on Friday. The Steelers’ first-round selection (24th overall) in the 2020 draft out of Alabama, Harris injured his eye in a fireworks accident on July 4 but said he expects to play.

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