One position where the Kansas City Chiefs suddenly have some uncertainty is in the tight end room. Travis Kelce is likely entering his final season in the NFL, and 2024 draftee Jared Wiley is returning from a torn ACL he sustained last November. Veteran Noah Gray has improved each year in his four seasons with the team, but there's a potential out in his contract after the 2025 season.
While the Chiefs focused on other areas in the 2025 NFL Draft, they still looked to the future at tight end by signing Clemson’s Jake Briningstool as an undrafted free agent. The former Tiger will receive $234K in guaranteed money—more than some Day 3 picks.
Briningstool, a former four-star recruit, finished his Clemson career with a school-record 127 receptions for a tight end. He also set program records for receiving yards and receptions by a tight end in both a single game and a single season. In the last two years of his collegiate career, he hauled in 98 receptions for 1,028 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. Those numbers compare favorably to the career totals for Wiley (who spent five seasons at Texas and TCU).
Clemson’s Jake Briningstool is an intriguing longshot to carve out a role in Kansas City’s evolving tight end room.
I watched some of Briningstool's game tape over the weekend and came away impressed—particularly with his ability to run after the catch. While he doesn't have blazing speed, he plays faster than he times. At the Combine in February, he recorded a 4.75-second 40-yard dash, but you wouldn’t know that from watching his film. There’s little wasted motion between securing the ball and turning upfield. I was surprised by how smooth he looks in the open field. He’s not a lumbering tight end on the move—he looks more like an X-receiver.
I also noted that Briningstool brings a surprising level of physicality to his game. His contact strength really stood out on tape. At 6-foot-6 and 241 pounds, he doesn’t go down easily. In his junior season, he recorded 126 receiving yards and two touchdowns on just five receptions against the Miami Hurricanes—a breakout performance that also showcased his ability to win contested catches. Briningstool came down with two 50-50 balls in that game, each with a defender tight in coverage.
Briningstool's best chance to stick in Kansas City is if the team carries four tight ends on the roster. He doesn't offer much as an in-line blocker at this stage—a skill the Chiefs value highly in shaping the tight end room. Wiley is working his way back from injury, so I suspect Briningstool will get tons of looks in the early phases of the offseason program. If he can maximize those opportunities, he could wind up on the team's 53-man roster.
Justyn Ross is proof that the road to the final roster is never easy. Briningstool's fate will largely depend on roster construction and how healthy other players are in the tight end room. Fortunately for him, his profile fits well in Kansas City. His size, reliable hands, and the ability to extend plays after the catch give him a puncher's chance to make his home in Kansas City. Reports suggest he had a strong showing in rookie minicamp, so he's well on his way to making the right impression on the coaching staff.
