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The Kansas City Chiefs dedicated financial space to undrafted signings once again in 2025.
The Kansas City Chiefs are never shy about spending money on undrafted signings that they like following the NFL draft. And they weren’t in 2025, as KPRC 2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson relayed that KC accounted for three of the “largest undrafted deals so far,” as of April 27.
Those three UDFA signings, per Wilson, were Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool ($264,000), Oklahoma State guard Dalton Cooper ($259,000) and USC punter Eddie Czaplicki ($254,000).
The Seattle Seahawks were the only other NFL franchise to appear on Wilson’s list three times, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers dishing out the largest undrafted contract so far — a $300,000 deal to Georgia State offensive lineman Benjamin Chukwuma.
Chiefs Bypass Tight End in the NFL Draft, But Add Jake Briningstool to UDFA Class
Briningstool is an intriguing prospect for the Chiefs to take a look at as they prepare for a world without Travis Kelce — which could occur as soon as 2026.
Although Kansas City avoided tight end during the draft, the 6-foot-6 rookie out of Clemson could have easily been a seventh-round pick. The Athletic’s lead draft expert Dane Brugler had Briningstool ranked as his 10th TE prospect in 2025, just behind drafted rookies like Oronde Gadsden and Mitchell Evans.
According to Brugler, “Briningstool is an athletic route runner, and he has the tracking and ball skills to work the seam or present a large target in the red zone.”
NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein agreed with this assessment, stating: “[Briningstool is] a possession-based tight end who majors in zone-beaters but will struggle to separate against man coverage. He operates in space with good body control and strong hands at the catch point and does an adequate job of keeping defenders on his hip.”
Briningstool is not your typical in-line tight end. He typically moves around the offense, taking on different roles.
On that note, both Brugler and Zierlein compared Briningstool to Tennessee Titans tight end Josh Whyle, and it will be interesting to see how Chiefs head coach Andy Reid plans to utilize him.
“[Briningstool] needs to continue improving his play strength as a blocker, but he is effective on the move in split zones or wham opportunities, on which he can build momentum and finish,” Brugler scouted. “Overall, Briningstool is a tall, lean athlete who understands how to maximize his catch radius and offers enough competitiveness as a blocker to fight for playing time once on an NFL roster.”
More on Chiefs Undrafted Signings Dalton Cooper & Eddie Czaplicki
As for the Chiefs’ other two priority UDFA signings, Cooper is a five-year starter who stands at 6-foot-5.
“Cooper has NFL size and has played as much football as just about any offensive lineman in the entire draft class, but his limitations might lower the ceiling of his pro potential,” Zierlein wrote ahead of the draft. “His pad level and core strength are issues that keep him from anchoring and sustaining enough. Still, the pass protection was good enough on tape to give him a chance to compete for a roster spot, provided he can eliminate or mitigate the waist-bending.”
BNB Football ranked Czaplicki as the third best punter of the 2025 class.
“Eddie Czaplicki exploded this season for USC, finishing first in the country in net punting average and winning the Ray Guy Award,” BNB Football noted. “Czaplicki is one of the best punters in the nation at preventing touchbacks. His absurd ratio over the last two seasons of 40 punts downed inside the 20 with only 5 touchbacks is the best in college football for players with at least 30 punts in that time period.”
BNB Football also stated that Czaplicki “has an impressive mix of distance, control, and hangtime, and also has some experience with kickoffs dating back to his two years at Arizona State.”
Michael Obermuller covers the NFL for Heavy.com, where he began writing in 2021. His areas of focus specialize on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, with expert knowledge on each based on years of coverage. An NYC area native and Quinnipiac graduate, his previous bylines include Heavy on Jets, FanDuel’s The Duel, King Fantasy Sports and Pro Football Mania. More about Michael Obermuller
