Jun 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches play during the first half of the game between the Kansas City Current and Racing Louisville FC at CPKC Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Young Chiefs TE Making Strides in Injury Recovery

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Dominic Minchella | Last updated Aug 12, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The Kansas City Chiefs' tight end room is arguably one of the deepest on the roster for the 2025 season. With the likes of Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Robert Tonyan being veterans of the game, extending their knowledge to the younger guys will only benefit their careers moving forward.

The Chiefs brought in Jake Brinningstool as an undrafted free agent to add depth to the tight end room, especially without knowing how well 2024 NFL Draft pick Jared Wiley would be along in his recovery from injury from last season. But as the Chiefs near the regular season, Wiley is beginning to look like an option they can lean on.

Head coach Andy Reid revealed that he and the rest of the coaching staff are trying their best to ease him back into the rotation, but from what Wiley has been able to do this offseason, both on and off the field, his future in Kansas City looks promising for 2025.

Speaking to the media on Monday, Wiley provided an update on how his injury recovery is going and what the game of football means to him.

"I feel good. It took me a drive or two to kind of get into the rhythm of the game the other day, but you know, I was kind of expecting that," Wiley said. "Being able to be out here (St Joesph) and competing with the guys that are out here, I think it's really helped me both mentally and physically, kind of know what I can do."

The goal for Wiley was always to get back on the football field by training camp, and that goal has been achieved.

"Shortly after I had surgery, I was talking to a couple of different trainers up there. You know, I was down on myself, not feeling very good, so we decided to set a pretty lofty goal to get back by training camp and so far it's been great."

While Wiley's progression back to football action is impressive, through his recovery, he had to question what his life would look like without football. He broke down that thought process as well.

"Figuring out who I was outside of football. Having something like that stripped away from you and kinda having to find a way to still stay involved as much as you can. You really feel like you're missing out."

This article first appeared on Kansas City Chiefs on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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