William Edward "Eddie" Royal (born May 21, 1986) is an American former
football wide receiver 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 position ...
. He was drafted by the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
in the second round of the
2008 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
and was elected to its sports hall of fame in 2018. Royal has also played for the
San Diego Chargers and
Chicago Bears.
Early years
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 ...
and
Paul VI Catholic High School
St. Paul VI Catholic High School (known as PVI or Paul VI) is a Roman Catholic college preparatory school in Chantilly, Virginia, United States.
The school was previously located in southwest Fairfax, Virginia and is named after Pope Paul VI. In ...
before going to
Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to:
* The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia
* Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana)
* Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts
* Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts
* West ...
in
Chantilly, Virginia
Chantilly is a census-designated place (CDP) in western Fairfax County, Virginia, Fairfax County, Virginia. 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 ...
, where he played for most of his
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...
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'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' 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
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
teammate
Sean Glennon
Sean Glennon (born September 5, 1985) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at Virginia Tech.
Glennon, was named the starter following the dismissal of Marcus Vick and held that job until being replaced by Tyr ...
and future
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
fullback Max Palmatier and future
Penn State running back
Evan Royster
Evan Mathias Royster (born November 26, 1987) is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Penn State University, where he was a thr ...
, 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 is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...
. He posted bests of 6.48 seconds in the
55-meter dash 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 ...
.
College career
Royal played for the
Virginia Tech Hokies
The Virginia Tech Hokies are the athletic teams representing the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech) in intercollegiate athletics. The Hokies participate in the NCAA's Division I Atlantic Coast Conference in 22 v ...
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
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...
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 in the
Peach Bowl
The Peach Bowl is an annual college football bowl game played in Atlanta, Georgia since December 1968. Since 1997, it has been sponsored by Chick-fil-A and is officially known as the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. From 2006 to 2013, it was officially ...
. 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), fourth in career receptions (119), fifth in receiving touchdowns (12) and sixth in receiving yards (1,778).
He was also the
Atlantic Coast Conference'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
The 2007 Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game featured the 2007 Boston College Eagles football team, Boston College Eagles and the 2007 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Virginia Tech Hokies in a regular-season college football game that determine ...
in
Jacksonville, Florida
Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...
, there, they faced a rematch with
Boston College, 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 4 receptions, 63 yards, and 1 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 ...
. Royal majored in
sociology
Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of empirical investigation an ...
.
Professional career
Denver Broncos
Royal was
drafted in the second round (42nd overall) of the
2008 NFL Draft by the
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...
.
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. He caught nine balls 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 football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons, primarily with the Chicago Bears. He played college football for the Van ...
. 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.
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
San Diego Chargers. 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. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...
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, 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 second most in NFL history for a rookie, behind only
Anquan Boldin who had 101 receptions in 2003. 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 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 American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
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
San Diego Chargers.
San Diego Chargers
On March 15, 2012, Royal signed a three-year contract with the
San Diego Chargers 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 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division.
The ...
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, singer, songwriter, and philanthropist, best known as the lead singer, keyboardist, and occasional bassist of the Las Vegas-based rock band the Killers.
In addition to his ...
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.
Chicago Bears
On March 11, 2015, Royal signed a three-year, $15 million deal with $10 million guaranteed with the
Chicago Bears. 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. On October 2, Royal caught 7 passes for 111 yards and a touchdown against the
Detroit Lions, 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 teams 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 recei ...
where she served as regimental commander and now serves with the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
.
References
External links
*
ESPN.com biographyChicago Bears biographySan Diego Chargers biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Royal, Eddie
1986 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Alexandria, Virginia
Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia
People from Reston, Virginia
Players of American football from Virginia
American football wide receivers
American football return specialists
Virginia Tech Hokies football players
Denver Broncos players
San Diego Chargers players
Chicago Bears players