John Michael Gyllenborg

Gyllenborg enters KC as a UDFA behind Travis Kelce (TE1), Noah Gray (TE2), Jared Wiley, and Jake Briningstool. He must outcompete at least two established rostered TEs just to reach TE3 status in 2026.

Gyllenborg didn't play tackle football until his senior year of high school and has documented drop issues and a limited route tree. His senior Wyoming season was hampered by a persistent hamstring injury, cutting into his final college showcase.

Travis Kelce re-signed with KC for 2026 on a deal structured practically as a one-year commitment, commanding the TE target share. Gyllenborg has no dynasty-relevant path while Kelce occupies the role.

UDFAs face annual cut risk; with Wiley (draft capital), Gray (proven role), and Briningstool already rostered, Gyllenborg must win a 53-man spot rather than being guaranteed one.

Kelce is 37 and widely viewed as being in a final-tour contract; Gyllenborg's 3-year deal positions him as a potential long-term piece in KC's historically elite TE-usage system. If Kelce steps away after 2026, a TE2/TE1 vacancy opens in one of the NFL's most target-rich TE environments under Patrick Mahomes.

KC used zero 2026 draft picks on tight ends, leaving the TE depth race entirely internal. Gyllenborg avoids the most direct threat to his roster spot — a Day 2/3 drafted TE with immediate investment behind him.

The Chiefs have generated elite TE target volume under Mahomes for nearly a decade. Whoever inherits the TE1 role post-Kelce lands in a scheme that annually produces top-12 fantasy TE production.

A 23-year-old, 6'5 3/4"/249 lb athlete testing 87th-percentile in the 40 and 96th in the broad jump offers a high physical ceiling if the staff develops the receiving polish.

KC guaranteed Gyllenborg $267,500 at signing — tied for 8th-highest guaranteed money among all 2026 UDFAs — signaling genuine organizational interest beyond a roster-filler role.