The Jeff Caldwell experiment isn't necessarily over.
The Kansas City Chiefs placed Caldwell on waivers on Monday with an injury designation in order to make room to sign defensive end Niles King. Caldwell ended up clearing waivers, which means that he automatically reverted back to the Chiefs' injured reserve.
At this point, the Chiefs (and Caldwell) must decide whether to continue the relationship they started, albeit on a delayed timeline. Caldwell has a spot on IR and can remain there for the duration of the 2026 season. This is why it's often referred to as a team stashing a player on IR to keep him around without having to use a roster spot to do so (or even a practice squad role). The Chiefs did this one year ago with tight end Jake Briningstool, who went down early in camp with a hamstring issue and was ultimately placed on IR for the full season.
There is another likely path, however, and that would involve both sides agreeing to release Caldwell with an injury settlement. This is actually a more common scenario when players revert to IR, as it allows them to become free agents sooner rather than later. In this way, Caldwell could control his own destiny if he believed that another franchise might give him a chance rather than waiting for Kansas City to give him another long offseason look in 2027.
Herein lies the decision for both sides. How much do the Chiefs believe they could really unlock in Caldwell after having him in the building since shortly after the draft? His athletic profile was the stuff of legends, with a perfect 10.0 relative athletic score fueled by a unicorn mix of size, speed, and strength. As enticing as those traits were, however, Caldwell generated little buzz in minicamp or training camp and was never going to warrant serious consideration for an active roster spot. His college production never quite matched those rare athletic traits, either. In his lone year at Cincinnati, he caught 32 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns. Remember, he went undrafted for a reason.
If Caldwell is amenable to a long-term relationship, however, it can't hurt the Chiefs to keep a player with such metrics around to see what happens. And for Caldwell, remaining with an organization that already sees enough developmental value to keep him might be preferable to searching for another opportunity while injured. For a team that could watch Rashee Rice hit free agency next year and already needs someone to step up in the present, the Chiefs might want to make sure Caldwell's not a late bloomer before letting him go.
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