William Edward Royal (born May 21, 1986) is an American former

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

and

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another positio ...

. He was selected by the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

in the second round of the

2008 NFL draft The 2008 NFL draft was the 73rd NFL draft, annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York (state), New York ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Virginia Tech Hokies The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing Virginia Tech in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 varsity sports. Virginia Tech's men's sports are football, b ...

and was elected to its sports hall of fame in 2018. Royal also played for the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

and

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...

Early life

Royal first attended

South Lakes High School South Lakes High School is a public high school in Reston, Virginia, United States. The school serves grades 9-12 for the Fairfax County Public Schools. History South Lakes High School opened in 1978 with grades 7-10. Students in the first 10th-g ...

before going to Westfield High School in

Chantilly, Virginia Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. The population was 24,301 as of the 2020 census. Chantilly is named after an early-19th-century mansion and farm, which in turn took the name of an ...

, where he played for most of his

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

career. He received All-America honors from PrepStar and SuperPrep (who named Royal the top high school player in the state of Virginia). He also earned ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' All-Metropolitan player of the year, 1st team All-met, 1st team All-state, 1st team All-region, and 1st team All-district honors. While a senior at Westfield High School, Royal, along with future

Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...

teammate

Sean Glennon Sean Glennon (born September 5, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Virginia Tech Hokies football, Virginia Tech. Glennon was named the starter following the dismissal of Marcus Vick and held that job u ...

and future

West Point The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...

fullback Max Palmatier and future

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with ca ...

running back

Evan Royster Evan Mathias Royster (born November 26, 1987) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft by the Washington Redskins, where he played for three seasons. He ...

, led his team to an undefeated season record (14–0) en route to the Virginia Division 6 AAA State Championship. While at Westfield, Royal also competed in

track & field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and ...

. He posted bests of 6.48 seconds in the

55-meter dash 55 metres is a sprint event in track and field. It is a relatively uncommon non-championship event for indoor track and field. The history of the event lies in the 60-yard dash, which is about 5 inches shorter than 55 metres. Since the 1960s alm ...

and 6.52 meters (21–3.75) in the

long jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a gr ...

College career

Royal played for the

from 2004 to 2007. He had 2,004 yards from scrimmage in four years, averaging 14.0 yards per play. In addition to those yards, as of 2021, he still held the record for most career punt return yards with 1,296 and was third in career kickoff return yards with 1,376. In 2004, Royal received freshman All-America honors from The NFL Draft Report after hauling in 28 passes for 470 yards (16.8 avg.) with three touchdowns in 12 games (11 starts) as a true freshman. He returned 25 punts for 274 yards (11.0 avg.) and gained 346 yards on 12 kickoff returns (28.8 avg.) and totaled 1,101 all-purpose yards. Royal started all 13 games as a sophomore in 2005, finishing third on

with 27 receptions for 315 yards (11.7 avg.) with two scores while adding 10 rushes for 79 yards with one touchdown. He returned 32 punts for 263 yards (8.2 avg.) and 14 kickoffs for 293 yards (20.9 avg.) to account for 950 all-purpose yards. Royal played 13 games (9 starts) during his junior year in 2006 and picked up second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors while being named an honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated. Royal caught 31 passes for 497 yards (16.0 avg.) with three touchdowns, he led the ACC and ranked 12th in the nation with a 13.2-yard punt return average (23–304) with one touchdown. He added 431 yards on 19 kickoff returns (22.7 avg.) and five rushes for 24 yards. He threw a 53-yard touchdown on a trick play against

Georgia Bulldogs The Georgia Bulldogs are the College athletics in the United States, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Georgia. The Bulldogs compete in NCAA Division I and are members of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The offic ...

in the

Peach Bowl The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played annually in Atlanta, Georgia, since December 30, 1968. The first three Peach Bowls were played at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Grant Field on the Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech c ...

. Royal finished with 1,256 all-purpose yards (96.7 ypg.). He played 13 games with 11 starts in 2007, earning first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors and second-team All-America accolades from The NFL Draft Report, he posted career highs in receptions (33–496) and receiving touchdowns (4). He led the ACC and ranked 10th in the nation with a 14.7-yard punt return average (31–455) and scored two touchdowns on punt returns. He added 14 kickoff returns for 316 yards (22.6 avg.) and eight rushes for 112 yards (14.0 avg.). Finishing with 1,379 all-purpose yards (106.1 ypg.), he finished first in career all-purpose yards in school history (4,686). He was also the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

's (ACC) all-time leader in punt return yards (1,296). Royal received second-team All-ACC honors in 2006 and first-team All-ACC honors in 2007. The Hokies won the Coastal division and secured a bid the 2007 ACC Championship Game in

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

, there, they faced a rematch with

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private university, private Catholic Jesuits, Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1863 by the Society of Jesus, a Catholic Religious order (Catholic), religious order, t ...

, champions of the Atlantic Division. Matt Ryan was unable to seize the victory with two fourth-quarter interceptions, sealed the Hokie win and an automatic bid to the Orange Bowl game. Royal finished the game with four receptions, 63 yards, and one touchdown. He also played in the

2008 Orange Bowl The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three ...

against Kansas.

Professional career

Denver Broncos

Royal was selected in the second round (42nd overall) of the

by the

. Royal started and played in his first NFL regular season game on September 8, 2008, in a 41–14 road win over the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team based in Oakland, California, from its founding in 1960 to 1981, and again from 1995 to 2019 before Oakland Raiders relocation to Las Vegas, relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan ...

. He had nine receptions for 146 yards and one touchdown in his debut. Royal's 146 receiving yards were the most by any wide receiver in the first week of the 2008 NFL regular season. His nine receptions were the most by a rookie making his debut for the Broncos. Royal's first career touchdown catch came in the first quarter of the game on a 26-yard pass from former Broncos quarterback

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

. Royal's opening week performance yielded voters on NFL.com to select him as the Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week out of five finalists. Eddie Royal Broncos

In Royal's second game of the season, he caught five passes for 37 yards and one touchdown, as part of a 39–38 Broncos home win over the

. His touchdown catch came with 24 seconds left in the game on a 4th and 4 from San Diego's four-yard-line. The catch made the score 38–37 Chargers; however, the Broncos subsequently went for a two-point conversion, in which Royal caught a pass from Cutler, thus, giving the Broncos a one-point victory. In Week 10, a game in which the Broncos defeated the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

on the road in comeback fashion, 34–30, Royal caught six passes for 164 yards, including a 93-yard touchdown pass. The performance earned him the honor of Diet Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Week for the second time in his career. On November 30, 2008, in a 34–17 Broncos road victory over the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

, Royal set a franchise record for most touchdowns (5) and receiving yards (757) for a rookie in one season after catching five passes for 84 yards and a touchdown. Royal's 91 receptions are third most in NFL history for a rookie, behind

Puka Nacua Makea "Puka" Nacua (; born May 29, 2001) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the BYU Cougars after transferring from Washington. Select ...

and

Anquan Boldin Anquan Kenmile Boldin Sr. (; born October 3, 1980) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 14 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and w ...

. His 980 yards and five touchdowns are both Broncos rookie records. He was seventh in the league among wide receivers in receptions, and sixth in the NFL in total yards. Early in the 2009 season, Royal became the fourth fastest player in

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The N ...

history to reach 100 career receptions. On October 19, 2009, Royal became the first player in Broncos history, and only the 11th player to date in

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

history, to return a kickoff (93 yards) and a punt (71 yards) for touchdowns in the same game, leading undefeated Denver to a 34–23 win over the

. He finished the 2009 season with 37 receptions for 345 receiving yards in 14 games and 12 starts. In the 2010 season, Royal had 59 receptions for 627 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns in 16 games and ten starts. In the 2011 season, Royal played 12 games and started eight. He had 19 receptions for 155 receiving yards and one touchdown.

San Diego Chargers

On March 15, 2012, Royal signed a three-year contract with the

worth $13.5 million, $6 million of which is guaranteed. He contributed as a slot receiver while handling the team's punt return responsibilities. But a series of setbacks hampered the beginning of his career in San Diego. Royal suffered a groin injury during the first day of training camp and shortly thereafter, his mom fell ill and he found himself making several trips home to Virginia to be by her side. Despite the slow start in San Diego, Royal finished the year strong and his best games were during the end of the season. In 2013, Royal reunited with new Chargers head coach Mike McCoy, his old

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator (OC) is a Coach (sport), coach responsible for a gridiron football team's offense (American football), offense. Generally, the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second ...

in Denver. Through the first eight games, Royal was among the league leaders in touchdowns with seven. He finished the 2013 season with 631 yards and a career-high in touchdowns with eight. In 2014, Royal played one of the biggest roles in bringing former Virginia Tech teammate and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

Brandon Flowers Brandon Richard Flowers (born June 21, 1981) is an American musician. He serves as the co-founder, lead vocalist, primary songwriter, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers, which he formed with Dave Ke ...

to the Chargers. Royal, along with his teammates, sold Flowers on the city and fans. They emphasized how they were trying to build something great and how he would be another piece to the puzzle. He finished the 2014 season with 62 receptions for 778 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Chicago Bears

On March 11, 2015, Royal signed a three-year, $15 million deal with $10 million guaranteed with the

. In 2015, Royal had just 37 catches for 238 yards and one touchdown in his first season in Chicago after being limited to nine games due to injuries. On September 11, 2016, Royal caught his first touchdown of the season in the season-opening loss to the

Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...

. On October 2, Royal caught 7 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

, his first 100+ yard game since 2014. As well as catching a touchdown pass, Royal also caught a single pass for a 64-yard gain. He suffered a foot injury in mid-October that limited him throughout the season before being placed on injured reserve on December 19. In 2016, he appeared in nine games and caught 33 passes for 369 yards with two touchdowns. He had foot surgery in late December 2016. On May 11, 2017, Royal was released by the Bears.

Career statistics

;Receiving ;Returning ;Rushing

Franchise records

's NFL off-season, Eddie Royal held at least seven Broncos franchise records, including: * Receptions: rookie season (91 in 2008), rookie game (11 on December 28, 2008, against the San Diego Chargers) * Receiving Yds: rookie season (980 in 2008) * Rec Yds/Game: rookie season (65.3 in 2008) * Kick Return Touchdowns: game (1 on October 19, 2009, against the San Diego Chargers; with 9 others) * Total Return Yards: game (235 on October 19, 2009, against the San Diego Chargers) * 100+ yard receiving games: rookie season (3)

Personal life

Eddie started as a little league player on the Reston Seahawks

Pop Warner Glenn Scobey Warner (April 5, 1871 – September 7, 1954), most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American college football coach at various institutions who is responsible for several key aspects of the modern game. Included among his inn ...

team and was a great teammate and hard worker from day one. Royal's older brother, Chris Royal, played professional football as well. His sister, Lt. Col. Christina Royal, is a graduate of the

Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets (VTCC) is the military component of the student body at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Cadets live together in residence halls, attend morning formation, wear a distinctive uniform, and receiv ...

where she served as regimental commander and now serves with the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

References

External links

Virginia Tech Hokies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal, Eddie 1986 births Living people Players of American football from Alexandria, Virginia Players of American football from Fairfax County, Virginia Sportspeople from Reston, Virginia American football wide receivers American football return specialists Virginia Tech Hokies football players Denver Broncos players San Diego Chargers players Chicago Bears players