Chiefs’ Byron Pringle, Gehrig Dieter taking WR Dalton Schoen under their wing
The Kansas City Chiefs have a rich tradition of finding receivers in undrafted free agency under Andy Reid.
The team added a number of players at the receiver position this offseason, including former Kansas State WR Dalton Schoen. A former walk-on with the Wildcats, Schoen is no stranger to being an underdog. He had to fight for his opportunities at K-State and he’ll have to do the same in Kansas City.
So far, Schoen has been leaning on some of his teammates who’ve made the team under the same circumstances. One of those players is fourth-year WR Byron Pringle, who also happened to play with Schoen at Kansas State.
“Definitely, Me and B (Byron Pringle) were good buddies at K-State,” Schoen said. “We started together in 2017. He texted me instantly right when he saw that I signed. He said hit him up if I had any questions about the playbook and he was in town one weekend and he was like ‘Hey, let’s hit the field’ and stuff like that. He’s been back in Tampa most of the time, so we haven’t been together working out that much or anything like that but we’ve definitely been in contact. He’s been helping me out.”
While Pringle hasn’t been around much this offseason, Schoen has been able to rely on another receiver in the Chiefs’ room. Fifth-year veteran Gehrig Dieter was instrumental in getting Schoen prepared for rookie minicamp. He’s been on the practice squad and the 53-man roster throughout the years and knows exactly what it takes to make this football team.
“In terms of the other receivers, it has been great getting to know some of them,” Schoen said. “We mentioned earlier, I knew Byron Pringle from college. The gym that I work out at in Overland Park, Gehrig Dieter works out there too, so we’ve been on the field doing a lot of routes and stuff. He’s been so helpful to me. You know, talking me through routes, doing all this stuff to get me ready for this minicamp, so that’s huge.”
Schoen has new teammates in his corner, but he also has plenty of support as a local product. In addition to attending K-State, Schoen grew up in Overland Park and played for Blue Valley Northwest. So long as Schoen continues to work hard this offseason, he’ll have the entire Chiefs Kingdom rallying behind him soon enough.
List
4 takeaways from Chiefs rookie minicamp Day 3
