The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up the 2025 NFL Draft, using most of their resources on improving their offensive and defensive lines. GM Brett Veach used seven draft picks to infuse the roster with talent in the trenches. However, the work is not over. The Chiefs have been adding to the roster since the completion of the draft, signing undrafted free agents for competition.
One of the UDFA signings the Chiefs made over the weekend was punter Eddie Czaplicki. NFL insider Aaron Wilson reported that the Chiefs signed the specialist out of USC to a $95,000 guaranteed base salary. Adding an elite punter when they already had Matt Araiza on the roster has already created a frustration around the league, best summed up by a reply to Wilson's tweet: "How do the chiefs keep getting away with this?"
#Chiefs signing punter Eddie Czaplicki to deal that includes $5,000 signing bonus, per a league source, and $95,000 of base salary is guaranteed
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 27, 2025
Chiefs Sign P Eddie Czaplicki to Compete With Matt Araiza
The reason for this frustration is the fact that Czaplicki was the best punter in college last year, winning the Ray Guy Award. This means that the Chiefs now have two of the previous four winners of the Ray Guy Award (Araiza won in 2021) on their roster.
Czaplicki initially competed for the kicker job at Arizona State before switching to punter. After two seasons at Arizona State, Czaplicki transferred to USC and emerged as the best punter in the nation, with 45.7 yards per punt and 24 punts inside the 20, including a long of 62.
Therefore, it was surprising when the only punter selected in the draft was Florida's Jeremy Crawshaw by the Broncos in the sixth round, instead of Czaplicki.
Araiza was solid but inconsistent last season, leaving the door open for the undrafted rookie to steal his job. While it's not unusual for the Chiefs to bring in training camp competition in unlikely positions, Czaplicki's chances of making the 53-man roster are presumably higher than most UDFAs.