Chiefs to 'Keep Pushing' Jared Wiley With Mental Tests at Training Camp

Wiley has passed the easier tests of his first offseason, but training camp is where it all comes together and the intensity increases.

Oct 14, 2023; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs tight end Jared Wiley (19) and wide receiver Dylan Wright (16) celebrate after Wiley scores a touchdown against the Brigham Young Cougars during the game at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

For as long as Travis Kelce is on the team, the Kansas City Chiefs' tight end room will always be highlighted by him. This offseason, though, general manager Brett Veach did his best to add more intrigue to the position group.

Fourth-year man Noah Gray remains squarely in his place for the No. 2 job, but gone are Jody Fortson and Blake Bell. In their places are two offseason acquisitions: Irv Smith Jr. (free agency) and Jared Wiley (NFL Draft). That pair, combined with Gerrit Prince, makes for a talented unit from top to bottom.

Wiley might be turning more heads than anyone. The TCU product is hard at work at his first NFL training camp this week, converting his progress in rookie minicamp and OTAs to more on-field work and expanded study. Speaking to the media at his arrival on the Missouri Western State University campus, quarterback Patrick Mahomes outlined what he'd like to see from the first-year man.

"I anticipate he comes in and learns and gets better and better," Mahomes said. "The physicality and the size and speed, you see that. But now, we have to test the mental ability. That tight end position's hard in the NFL, especially in Coach (Andy) Reid's offense because you have to be able to block and make all the blocking assignments but also do all the passing stuff too. He's done a great job with that so far, and we're going to keep pushing him and see what we can do. There's going to be a lot of competition in that room, obviously, with Travis (Kelce) and Noah (Gray) but even the other guys we have. I'm excited for him to get in, get the work and come back and hopefully be a big impact [player] on our team."

Despite playing for two schools in five collegiate seasons, Wiley never left the state of Texas. Learning a new system every year, it was his final campaign in 2023 that eventually put him on NFL Draft radars for this April. In 12 games with the Horned Frogs last year, he hauled in 47 passes for 520 yards and eight touchdowns. All of those figures were career-high marks.

Wiley then shined during the pre-draft process, posting a Relative Athletic Score of over 9.0. Thanks to his elite size and speed testing (6-foot-6 and approximately 250 pounds with a 4.62-second 40-yard dash), he helped his case even more. That led to him going to Kansas City in the fourth round, landing Kelce an understudy for the future.

Earlier this offseason, Veach discussed what Wiley brings to the offense.

"I think it’s unique to add a true combo tight end on this roster, so [we're] certainly excited about that prospect there," Veach said. "We had guys in the past like Blake Bell and some other guys down the line. I just think Travis is the best at what he does, and Noah Gray has done some really outstanding stuff for us the last few years. Noah plays a ton of reps on special teams. Having another big body to be interchangeable with those two players is really important for us.”

While the true value of the Wiley pick may not come to fruition for some time, there's an avenue for him to make an impact as a rookie. Reid is no stranger to using heavy personnel on offense, especially in certain matchups. If Wiley makes progress in the blocking aspect of his game, it wouldn't be much of a surprise to see him on the field a handful of times per game. His vertical athletic profile could make him a red zone threat immediately.

Kansas City will monitor that progress this week, then it's time for the stakes to go even higher once veterans report. The tests only get more difficult from here on out.

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