Ty Fryfogle is physical WR prospect for KC Chiefs

Wide receiver Ty Fryfogle is a longshot prospect to make the Kansas City Chiefs roster next season but the physical receiver will try his best.

On Monday, the Kansas City Chiefs worked out a handful of players on the offensive side and came away with a couple of signings to provide more offseason competition at wide receiver. The signings included a notable name in NFL circles in former top 10 draft pick John Ross and an under-the-radar prospect in Ty Fryfogle.

Fryfogle is a former member of the Indiana Hoosiers with football in his blood. His great-grandfather played at Tennessee and his own father at Ole Miss, and Fryfogle himself hauled in 158 catches for over 2,200 in four-plus seasons in Bloomington.

The question with Fryfogle has always been about his ability to take his game to the next level, and so far, the answer seems to be negative. After all, he went unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft. While he caught on with the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent, he failed to make the active roster and was eventually released with an injury settlement (for an undisclosed issue). Beyond that, he sat available as a free agent until Chiefs general manager Brett Veach signed him.

But here’s where things get interesting since Veach has a keen eye for talent and the Chiefs are a model organization in the NFL. It’s hard to tell what sort of signing is a Corey Coleman or an Albert Wilson.

For Fryfogle, the battle is around his ability to create a mismatch. On the one hand, as a slightly bigger receiver who stands just over 6’1 and weighs 205, he’s always used his frame well to provide a dependable receiver on the boundary during his time with the Hoosiers. Fryfogle would often come away with contested catches and would outmuscle his opponents.

That said, more catches were contested than scouts might like because Fryfogle was never going to create much separation with his game speed or route-running. And given that NFL defensive backs are going to be that much more physical—even on average—it felt like the college ranks might be the last stop for Fryfogle’s talents to be able to create leverage in his favor.

But the Chiefs clearly see something here beyond what labels have been applied on Fryfogle. Perhaps his route-running could become sharper. Maybe there are hopes for a special teams role beyond the little experience he brings to that area.

Here is what is important from a team-building perspective. Marcus Kemp is a free agent. Mecole Hardman is too. JuJu Smith-Schuster and Justin Watson are also slated to hit free agency. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is signed but the next two seasons operate more like team options than guaranteed years. In other words, the Chiefs have Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore as core players and then a lot of questions. Things aren’t dire by any means since there’s a lot of potential, but the Chiefs clearly like Fryfogle in the early mix.

The Chiefs are likely going to enhance and rebuild parts of their offense and the signing of Fryfogle is likely anecdotal—a small signing that will likely lead to nothing before the offseason ever really began. However, this is also what NFL futures deals are all about—a general manager who likes something specific about a prospect and trusts his coaches to make him shine. Only time will tell how Fryfogle will turn out.