The Kansas City Chiefs signed 20 undrafted free agents. Which of them has a chance to crack the 53-man roster? There are four names that might not be on your radar, but they should be.
The Kansas City
Chiefs' rookie minicamp is officially underway this weekend, with 105 players in attendance, including draft picks
, undrafted free agents
, and tryout players.
The Chiefs signed 20 undrafted free agents to the 90-man offseason roster this year. With such a high number, which of those players has a true chance to stick with the team? There are already quite a few fan favorites emerging, like E.J. Smith
, Jeff Caldwell
, and Xavier Nwankpa
. However, there are also quite a few players flying under the radar who could make surprise bids for the 53-man roster.
Kansas City has one of the better personnel departments in the NFL at finding contributors through the UDFA player pool. Here's a look at players on the 90-man offseason roster who began their NFL careers as UDFAs with the Chiefs:
CB Melvin Smith Jr.
DB Chris Roland-Wallace
TE Tre' Watson
WR Jimmy Holiday
Here's a look at four of those prospects and why I believe they might have a better chance of making it than is currently realized.
Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Chiefs GM Brett Veach said he felt the team still needed to add two defensive linemen. Kansas City drafted Peter Woods at pick No. 29, but they didn't add another player on the interior. Why do I think McNeill could be that other player for the Chiefs? The 6-foot-4 and 300-pound defensive tackle was one of the best run-stopping defensive tackles in this draft class. His 10.2% run-stop rate in 2025 ranked 15th among draft-eligible players.
The Chiefs' O-Line depth isn't exactly a problem, but it also hasn't been great over the past few seasons. Everyone knows the issues at tackle, but the interior depth has been suspect with Mike Caliendo as the sixth man. Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson are seemingly outside of the circle of trust based on their first two seasons. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 307 pounds, Thompson has quietly been one of the best right guards in college football. He hasn't allowed a sack and just 15 total pressures over the past two seasons at Northwestern and LSU. If you turn on his tape, he looks like a young Joe Thuney . He also has right tackle flexibility.
Fans might be rightfully enamored by guys like Jeff Caldwell and Omari Evans , but I think Jacob De Jesus might actually have the best chance of making the 53-man roster. It all comes down to Dave Toub and special teams. The Chiefs' punt and kick return game wasn't particularly strong in 2025, and they'll be looking for an edge there. De Jesus is only 5-foot-7 and 170 pounds, but he's a shifty and speedy return specialist. In 2025, De Jesus had 22 punt returns for 222 yards with 24 fair catches. He also had 18 kick returns for 363 yards, leading the ACC with a 20.2 yards per return average. If De Jesus is the real deal, Nikko Remigio and Brashard Smith better watch out.
There's room for a UDFA safety to make a push for the 53-man roster in Kansas City this season. Xavier Nwankpa has the five-star pedigree, but Singleton might be the safety to emerge in a competition. He's got the physical traits to be a multi-tool defender in Kansas City, playing strong safety, sub-package linebacker, and special teams. At 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds, Singleton recorded a 39.5-inch vertical jump and a 130-inch broad jump at the combine. The athleticism jumps off the tape when he's triggering downhill. His coverage skills are up there, too. He allowed just a 35.4 passer rating in his coverage in 2025. That's good for the seventh-best mark among safeties with at least 300 coverage snaps.
