Andy Reid: Chiefs “have security” with Tyler Bray

Andy Reid says the Kansas City Chiefs finally feel comfortable with Tyler Bray enough to let him back up Alex Smith in 2017.

Last year before the regular season, John Dorsey made a surprising move. He dumped two of his drafted, developmental quarterbacks in Kevin Hogan and Aaron Murray for the sake of signing a veteran free agent, Nick Foles. Tyler Bray remained on the roster, hoping to have the chance to eventually earn the team’s trust so such a move wasn’t necessary.

Four years after joining the team, Bray has finally reached that moment. The former Tennessee Volunteer joined the team as an undrafted free agent in 2013 and has endured injuries and competition in that time to remain on the roster. That time spent learning plays, getting reps in camp, playing some preseason games and developing his own skills have finally translated into what Andy Reid termed “security” for 2017.

"He had a little bit of time last season, but for the most part, this is the first time he’s had the whole thing thrown at him and been expected to do it. He’s doing a nice job with it. Tyler is very much improved from where we initially got him. He’s to where we’ve got security and we feel he can go ahead and fill that spot."

The last line is key from Andy Reid. The Chiefs head coach admits the team now feels secure and that they can “go ahead and fill” the back-up quarterback slot. Bray has now earned his chance and heading into training camp, it seems as if every spot on the depth chart is already filled.

For Bray, the arm was always the gift, but he needed help with accuracy and transferring his game to the pro level. During his junior year at Tennessee, Bray completed 59.4% of his passes for 3,612 passing yards and 34 touchdowns with 12 interceptions, good for a solid 8.0 yards/attempt average.