New Chiefs TE Ricky Seals-Jones prepared for high-octane KC offense
As the offseason marches on, the Kansas City Chiefs made another move in free agency to bolster the depth of their offense.
With the departure of backup tight end Blake Bell to the Dallas Cowboys on March 25, the Chiefs were in search of a viable option behind Travis Kelce.
On April 3, it was reported that the Chiefs signed former Cardinals and Browns tight end Ricky Seals-Jones to a one-year deal. In his introductory conference call on April 13, Seals-Jones said it was hard to turn down the Chiefs after seeing what the Super Bowl champions accomplished last year.
“This past season watching the Chiefs play some games, it was incredible to watch,” Seals-Jones said. “Once the Chiefs reached out to my agent and they wanted to bring me in it was kind of like a no-brainer. I talked with the coaches, the GM and sat down with my family and made that decision to become a Chief.”
Seals-Jones went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft and was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent. The former Texas A&M Aggie was a wide receiver in college, but transitioned to tight end with the Cardinals.
In his three seasons in the league, Seals-Jones has hauled in 60 passes for 773 yards and eight touchdowns. In 2019, he caught 14 passes for 229 yards and four touchdowns with the Cleveland Browns. With the departure of Bell, Seals-Jones and veteran Deon Yelder will likely compete for the lion’s share of reps as the Chiefs’ second tight end.
This offseason has been unusual, to say the least. With the outbreak of COVID-19, players and teams can’t meet face-to-face, so the importance of trusted opinions about the club is especially paramount. Seals-Jones talked with former Chiefs tight end and 2019 Browns teammate Demetrius Harris about the organization before making his decision.
“I felt like Kansas City was honest,” Seals-Jones said. “Also, talking with Demetrius, all of the things that he had said previously, they had said now in the present. It was like what they said and what he said were not two different things.”
Harris played for Kansas City for five seasons before joining the Browns last year. (Harris is now a Chicago Bear.)
“You got a player who left and still shows respect for that organization and loves that organization,” Seals-Jones continued. “So, that gives you a little bit of confidence when you’re going in and talking to another team. And they love Demetrius, so it was perfect and that kind of helped. Then the offense and how they use their 12 personnel, it kind of all fit in perfect for me.”
With the departure of Bell, the Chiefs also lose a significant special teams contributor. Bell played 50% of the Chiefs special teams snaps in 2019. If Seals-Jones is able to win the second-string role out of camp, he said he understands the special team duties that come with it.
“I’m willing to do whatever to help the team win,” Seals-Jones said. “I played special teams in Arizona and in Cleveland. Special teams is not something that I don’t want to do. If they need me to do it, I’ll do it. I’m cool with special teams. It does not bother me, not one bit.”
