Chiefs tight end Jared Wiley suddenly faces a harsh roster reality

The Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 draft class was well received by both fans and experts alike. Yes, most of the talk was about their first two selections: speedy wide receiver Xavier Worthy and athletic offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia. Still, people were also quick to point out what amazing value the Chiefs got in their two late fourth-round picks. Those picks were tight end Jared Wiley and safety Jaden Hicks. Together, those four players were seen as the core of a very strong draft class.

A year later, Worthy looks like he'll be an essential part of the Chiefs' passing game. Suamataia, while struggling at left tackle last season, looks slated to be the Chiefs' starting left guard in his second year. Jaden Hicks will be taking over a key starting position in the defense created by the departure of Justin Reid. Meanwhile, Jared Wiley has become the forgotten man and could be fighting just to make the roster in 2025.

Jared Wiley might be fighting for a roster spot in his second season in Kansas City.

To be fair to Wiley, he suffered an ACL injury in November that cut his rookie year short, but he also hadn't shown much prior to the injury. He was active for seven games, playing 94 offensive snaps and nine special teams snaps, totaling one reception for seven yards on offense and no tackles on special teams. If I'm being completely honest, his lack of regular-season involvement had me thinking he got injured in the preseason before I looked it up for this piece.

Despite getting injured in November, it seems like Wiley is doing well with his recovery. He was spotted at "Camp Mahomes" this offseason and was taking part in some of the drills during OTAs with a brace on his knee. While you never want a player to rush back from an injury, Wiley may need to prove he can get on the field and earn a role if he wants to ensure he has a future in KC.

Wiley must overcome a few potential problems in order to earn a role in KC's offense going forward. The first is that he has no chance of being one of Kansas City's top two tight ends this season, barring an injury. Travis Kelce is back, and the Chiefs gave Noah Gray a three-year, $18 million contract to be KC's No. 2 guy and potential heir to Kelce should he retire after this season. That means Wiley is fighting to be KC's No. 3 tight end this year.

The second problem for Wiley is that if he isn't healthy enough to be a full go in training camp, the Chiefs have two other really viable options for the tight end three spot. One is veteran Robert Tonyan, who has had a solid NFL career, including catching 50+ passes twice in his career, most recently in 2022. He didn't play last season because of back issues, but if he's healthy, he would easily be the most proven option the Chiefs have.

KC also has a young developmental option in Jake Briningstool. The undrafted rookie out of Clemson is looking to follow in the footsteps of other recent UDFAs who have made the roster after a strong training camp. If Briningstool shows potential as a receiver, blocker, and special teams contributor while Wiley is rehabbing on the sideline, it could be an issue for the former fourth-round pick.

The final problem for Wiley is that not only does he have to prove he's healthy, he has to show he fits a specific role for the Chiefs. Typically, KC's top tight end is a pass catcher first, blocker second. KC's No. 2 tight end is someone who splits between blocking and routes, and their third tight end is typically mainly a blocker and special teams player. Last season, Kelce's receiving-to-blocking split was 66%/34%, Gray's was 51%/49%, and Wiley's was 28%/72%.

All you have to do is look at Wiley in the picture at the top of this piece, and you can see that he is built more like a big wide receiver than a traditional tight end. While that doesn't mean he can't develop into a good NFL blocker, it isn't his biggest strength. And given that he only had nine snaps on special teams in the seven games he played last season, he isn't the most natural fit for KC's No. 3 tight end spot—especially if someone like Briningstool is healthy and shows potential in those areas.

I still think the Chiefs will want to keep Wiley around because of the draft pick they invested in him and his upside as a pass catcher, but he needs to get healthy and prove he has a role on this team before someone else (like Briningstool or Tonyan) takes his spot out from under him.

Ideally, the Chiefs would probably like Wiley to earn the No. 3 spot this season and then hopefully stash Briningstool on the practice squad. That way, if Kelce retires next year, they could potentially have Gray, Wiley, and Briningstool all ready for 2026.

I still like Jared Wiley's upside and will be keeping an eye on both his health and performance during training camp this year. He is a player whose future with the team and in the NFL could be greatly impacted by what happens in the next month.