Kansas City’s 4 Best Offensive College Free Agents in Mahomes Era

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Jake Briningstool might inherit the Travis Kelce mantle.

An undrafted free agent, the tight end from Clemson is expected to compete for Patrick Mahomes targets after missing last season with a hamstring injury. And if Briningstool blossoms into an impressive Kelce replacement, he’ll sit at the top of this list.

Until then, here are the Chiefs’ four best undrafted free agents on the offensive side of the ball in the Mahomes era (2017-present).

G/T Andrew Wylie, 2018

There was an intriguing reference on Wylie’s resume when the Chiefs were setting their late-round board in 2018: Defensive end Maxx Crosby. Wylie got better at Eastern Michigan with plenty of reps against the future NFL star, so Andy Reid and Brett Veach felt good about signing Wylie as an undrafted free agent. They also felt good about inserting Wylie as a guard in their starting lineup halfway through his rookie season. He never left. Wylie started at right guard, left guard and right tackle, a critical part of three Super Bowl appearances and two titles. Wylie left after the 2022 season to sign with Washington.

WR Byron Pringle, 2018

An original example of how much the Chiefs value undrafted free agents, Pringle was a diamond. A preseason hamstring injury ended his rookie season but, rather than bid him farewell with an injury settlement, the Chiefs kept him on injured reserve all season (just as they did with Briningstool last season). It paid off. Pringle’s best season was 2021, when he posted 568 yards and five touchdowns on 42 targets – helping the Chiefs to the doorstep of another Super Bowl berth. He posted three touchdown catches in the 2021 postseason. A key deep threat, he also returned a kickoff 102 yards for a touchdown in 2021. Pringle signed with Chicago before the ’22 season.

G Mike Caliendo, 2022

The Chiefs might as well have had a large Vegas-style neon sign pointing at their depth chart in 2024: Left tackle was a glaring weakness. And without Caliendo as part of the offensive-line solution, the Chiefs wouldn’t have finished 14-2 and reached a third straight Super Bowl. Reid and Andy Heck kicked All-Pro guard out to left tackle, Caliendo slid in at left guard and the Chiefs finished the season in respectable fashion. Last year, Caliendo filled in for Pro Bowler Trey Smith at right guard. And after allowing Caliendo to test the free-agent market last month, the Chiefs brought him back. That might end up being one of the more underrated moves of the Chiefs’ offseason.

TE Jody Fortson, 2019

Other than Pro Bowler Kenny Moore, Valdosta State isn’t known for producing a lot of high-quality NFL prospects. That didn’t stop the Chiefs from landing Fortson after the 2019 draft. More of a hybrid wide receiver at 6-4 and 235 pounds, Fortson toiled on the Chiefs’ practice squad for two years before making his mark in 2021 and early in ‘22. That mark was more precision than volume. Two of his four NFL receptions in 2021 were touchdowns. A year later, each of his first two receptions were touchdowns.