The day the Kansas City Chiefs started their second wave of organized team activities (OTAs) is the day tight end Jody Fortson opted to sign his deal with the Chiefs.
Fortson signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender on March 31, according to the NFL’s Personnel Notice. Kansas City had tendered Fortson on March 15.
Chiefs tight end Joe Fortson signed his exclusive-rights tender
With Fortson officially back in the fold, the Chiefs tight end room now consists of Fortson, Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray, Jordan Franks, and Mark Vital. The entire grouping is projected to be in attendance for Kansas City’s second wave of OTAs, which go from May 31 to June 2.
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Fortson’s Position Change Revitalized Career
The biggest reason for Fortson making Kansas City’s active roster in 2021: a position change. Last offseason, he made the transition from wide receiver to tight end, and while it was a bumpy road at first, the position change has worked in his favor and has the organization on Fortson’s side.
“Guys like that, it’s easy to kind of feel sorry for yourself and just want to go start fresh somewhere else, but the kid came back to training camp with just a completely different mindset,” general manager Brett Veach said of Fortson on September 1.
“It was like he had just wiped the slate clean and wants to attack this thing and get after it. You guys heard him mention about getting with [Dave] Toub and finding out how he can get better at teams. So, it was really an awesome story to see him get his position moved, struggle, but just continue to work and just put the blinders on and not listen to the outside noise.”
Despite being one of four tight ends on the active roster last season, Fortson was still utilized by offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and found a lot of success over the first five weeks of the regular season. He had four catches for 20 yards and two touchdowns heading into Week 6, per Pro Football Reference. Early in the first quarter against Washington in Week 6, Fortson had an incredible catch over a defensive back for a pickup of 27 yards.
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Fortson’s 2021 Season Halted in Week 6
During the third quarter of the Chiefs’ 31-13 win over Washington, Fortson hit the ground in visible pain after having suffered a non-contact injury.
Both teams showing #Chiefs Jody Fortson some love
Off the bat, the injury did not look good based on the reaction of his teammates and the expression on Fortson’s face as he was carted to the locker room. Several minutes later the team ruled Fortson out with an Achilles injury. After the game, head coach Andy Reid confirmed the alleged diagnosis.
“Jody Fortson tore his Achilles,” Reid said.
Fortson’s injury put an end to a cinderella-like story during the 2021 season. He entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2019. His first and only stop in the NFL has been with the Chiefs, where he’s been signed, released, and then re-signed to the practice squad every season leading up to 2021.
Fortson now gets to continue his NFL journey in Kansas City, the place that knows him the best.
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Chiefs Retain Fan-Favorite Tight End for 1 More Year