Chiefs' Andy Reid Provides Initial Thoughts on Undrafted Free Agent

In what could be tight end Travis Kelce's final stint with the Kansas City Chiefs, the front office has to start planning for the future at the tight end position. The franchise does possess Noah Gray and Jared Wiley, but adding insurance for the future has never been a bad idea for any NFL franchise.

Following the 2025 NFL Draft, the Chiefs signed undrafted free agent tight end Jake Briningstool out of Clemson. Briningstool was projected to get his name called during the drafting process, but fell out of the pecking order, leading him right into the laps of the Chiefs organization.

Briningstool has a lot to learn before anyone considers him the future tight end of Kansas City, but adding him to a tight end room that has both veterans and youngsters will help mold him into the player the Chiefs are hoping he will be.

Throughout his collegiate career, Briningstool totaled 1,380 receiving yards, 17 touchdowns, and averaged 28.8 receiving yards per game over four years. General manager Brett Veach took one look at Briningstool and knew that he could be an important depth piece for the future of the franchise.

Thus far through Chiefs training camp, head coach Andy Reid has been pleased with the performance he has seen from the young tight end. When asked about his initial impression of the former Clemson Tiger, Coach Reid had positive reviews from what he's seen.

"So Brett gets the credit for that one. He loved him and loved what he saw. And so far, the kid has done a nice job. Again, let's see how he does when things get going. But he's working in there. It looks like the quarterbacks trust him. They're throwing it to him. So it's positive," Coach Reid said Thursday.

If both Patrick Mahomes and Gardner Minshew are trusting Briningstool enough early on in training camp, it's likely that they will continue to do so as training camp progresses. Pairing Briningstool in a room with both Kelce and Gray is also beneficial for the development of the young tight end.

Briningstool's production increased from year one to year four in college, ending his collegiate career with a season high of 530 receiving yards, scoring seven touchdowns and setting a collegiate career-high in average receiving yards per game with 40.8.

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