Chiefs Reportedly Not Tendering Deon Yelder

As the official open of free agency on March 17 draws near, reports are starting to pour in. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported the Kansas City Chiefs will not tender backup tight end Deon Yelder.

The #Chiefs are not tendering TE Deon Yelder as a restricted free agent, source said. He'll hit the market.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 14, 2021

This means Yelder will hit the free agent market after three seasons in Kansas City.

Yelder was signed to the Chiefs after being an undrafted free agent in 2018. In his time in Kansas City, Yelder has recorded 10 catches for 86 career yards. This year, Yelder appeared in 14 games, starting in one, and hauled in seven catches for 36 yards.

Chiefs general manager Brett Veach addressed the issue of the backup tight end in his only press conference so far this offseason.

Veach said getting depth at some main position groups will be one of the team’s biggest priorities this offseason.

“... We’re certainly going to look on the offensive line and defensive line and the linebacker position to get better,” Veach said. “But that’s not to say you can’t get better at every position. Getting Travis [Kelce] a back up tight end, getting depth at wide out, identifying more young corners like we have been able to do and certainly look to continue to do in the draft and something that will also be on our radar and you may find value that you didn’t expect. You may be thinking one thing and then all of sudden another position that you didn’t anticipate having access to becomes available and you have to have different gameplans in place.”