Chiefs Injuries Have Aided ‘Dark Horse’ Standout’s Roster Chances

Before training camp, it felt like Kansas City Chiefs veteran tight end Robert Tonyan could fall victim to a somewhat unfair roster cut, being that KC would be able to easily sneak a vested vet like him onto the practice squad over a promising rookie like Jake Briningstool.

That could still be the end result for Tonyan, but as of August 6, the ninth-year pro has made major strides in clinching a spot on the initial 53. And injuries to his competition have certainly helped as well.

While you never want to see a teammate suffer an injury, the reality is that one player’s downfall could mean life for another player’s career. At age 31, Tonyan may not have too many NFL opportunities left like this one, and he’s taking full advantage of every extra rep at Chiefs training camp this summer.

The Athletic’s new KC beat reporter Jesse Newell (formerly of the KC Star) highlighted Tonyan as one of his “dark horse” candidates to make the roster on August 6.

“Veteran Robert Tonyan — he had no NFL catches last season — has gotten plenty of camp run with the first-team offense while showing off strong pass-catching skills,” Newell noted.

Relaying a quote from Tonyan, which read: “I feel like this year, I’ve just been trying to get better every day. The situation I’m in, we have so many plays out there, you’re not going to make every play. But you’ve got to learn quick and not make the same mistake twice.”

On the flip side, Briningstool has missed most of training camp with a pesky hamstring injury, and 2024 draft pick Jared Wiley appears to be dealing with a setback in his recovery from a torn ACL. Head coach Andy Reid confirmed some “swelling” in Wiley’s knee on August 4.

Chiefs Rookie TE Jake Briningstool Must Prove He’s Healthy Enough to Warrant a 53-Man Roster Spot

Briningstool was the talk of the town at OTAs, but the first sign of trouble appeared at minicamp. The undrafted rookie sat out the mandatory practices with an injury, but seemed to recover by the time training camp began in late July.

Before long, Briningstool was back on the pine as the hamstring injury flared up again.

Newell still included Briningstool as a “dark horse” to make the roster, along with Tonyan and fellow undrafted rookie Tre Watson, but with an obvious caveat. The UDFA has to find a way to get back on the field and remain healthy heading into Week 1.

“Two undrafted rookies have a chance [to make the roster at tight end], too,” the KC beat reporter wrote. “Jake Briningstool, a Clemson product, joined the Chiefs in the offseason after coach Andy Reid called him personally to talk about his potential role with the team. Briningstool has done well when he’s in, but he’s also struggled to stay on the field with a hamstring injury.”

Newell added that “Tre Watson, out of Texas A&M, also has made a recent push up the depth chart with an outside chance to sneak his way to the 53.”

Chiefs Could Save Some Cap Space by Cutting Robert Tonyan After Training Camp

As noted above, Tonyan has the deck stacked against him due to his veteran status. Injuries have helped level the playing field, for sure, but the Chiefs will have to make a conscious decision to keep the journeyman TE for a couple of reasons, and one of them is financial.

If the Chiefs keep Tonyan on the initial 53-man roster, they lock in his $1.255 million salary and $1.03 million cap hit. If they were to cut him, both of those amounts drop to zero as Tonyan has no guarantees in his one-year deal.

Briningstool is a UDFA with an $850K cap hit. Kansas City only saves $606K if they release him after June 1, per Over the Cap.

Although these minor salary amounts and cap hits won’t make or break the Chiefs either way, they could have factored in if all things were equal. Especially when you consider that Briningstool would have to pass through waivers.

Now, with Tonyan stacking days and Briningstool sitting out, perhaps it’s less noteworthy than before.