Breaking: Chiefs sign TE Ricky Seals-Jones
The Kansas City Chiefs didn't wait very long to start spending some of their new-found salary cap space on Thursday, as they signed free agent tight end Ricky Seals-Jones to compete for the right to back up star TE Travis Kelce.
After the Chiefs saw TE Blake Bell head to the Dallas Cowboys in free agency, Deon Yelder was the team's only experienced backup tight end on the team, with developmental prospects John Lovett and Nick Keizer on the roster behind him.
With or without Bell, the Chiefs' tight end depth chart was shallow. Obviously, with Kelce at the top, Kansas City has one of the most dangerous weapons in the sport. But beyond that, it's a bit suspect. Now the Chiefs have a super-athletic project in the 25-year-old Seals-Jones to bring into Andy Reid's offense with a chance of being a productive pass-catcher in 2020.
At Texas A&M, Seals-Jones was a wide receiver who never fully reached his five-star-recruit potential before dealing with injuries throughout his junior year and entering the NFL Draft instead of returning for his senior season. With a 4.69 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, Seals-Jones may not have had the speed to stay at receiver in the NFL, so the Arizona Cardinals signed him as an undrafted free agent and converted him to tight end.
Seals-Jones spent his first two seasons with the Cardinals before spending last season with the Cleveland Browns. Moving on from Seals-Jones was an obvious call after the Browns acquired Austin Hooper this offseason, adding to a loaded TE group with David Njoku already on the roster.
At 6'5", 240 pounds, Seals-Jones will be a big target for Patrick Mahomes as a tertiary option within the offense. While this is certainly no replacement for the production of Travis Kelce (which may not exist anywhere in the sport), Seals-Jones will be in a position to provide an interesting TE2 option for Reid's offense, with the potential to take on an increasing role as his knowledge and comfort in the system increases.
