Called upon to make a play on offense, Chiefs tight end Deon Yelder delivered ... twice

On his two receptions last weekend in Detroit, Chiefs tight end Deon Yelder wasn’t the first option for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. But there he was anyway, doing his job, getting open and making the most of his targets.

That last sentence pretty much explains his football career.

Football wasn’t a first option when Yelder was a youngster in Louisville, Kentucky. Basketball was. Yelder didn’t play organized football until his junior year of high school.

But he was athletic enough to earn a roster spot in football at Western Kentucky, then a scholarship.

Now, Yelder is catching passes in the NFL. Those two catches at Detroit Sunday were the first of his pro career.

“It was a very special moment, just being ready when the opportunity came,” Yelder said. “That was the main thing I had to do. Be ready.”

Yelder has been getting himself ready for a couple of years. He didn’t become a college starter until his fifth season, when he finished second on the team with 52 receptions. His big college moment to that point had been a blocked extra point in the second overtime to help Western Kentucky beat Middle Tennessee State.

A late bloomer? Perhaps. Yelder showed so much promise as a prospect that his Western Kentucky coach Mike Sanford predicted he’d have “an eight- to 12-year NFL career.”

That pro career started when Yelder signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2018. He spent a month on the Saints’ practice squad before being cut. The Chiefs signed him the next day, and a few weeks later Yelder appeared in his first NFL game on special teams.

After losing second tight end Demetrius Harris to the Cleveland Browns after last season, the Chiefs were in the market for players to fill in the depth chart behind star Travis Kelce. Yelder was the only candidate among several who emerged in the offseason who had suited up for the Chiefs last season.

When the roster was set, Yelder and Blake Bell emerged with spots on the 53-man roster. Yelder was inactive for the Chiefs’ first two games, suiting up for the first time against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3.

But it’s the fourth game he’ll always remember. On the Chiefs’ third snap Sunday at the Lions, Yelder lined up tight left, delayed and dragged across the middle. Mahomes hit him and Yelder had space to run. His first NFL reception went for 24 yards.

Two plays later, Mahomes ran a run-pass option and spotted Yelder over the middle. This completion went for 19 yards. Yelder’s appearance in Detroit lasted just five offensive snaps, but they produced chunk plays and got the Chiefs into scoring position.

Where Yelder’s career goes from here — the Chiefs next play host to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football — nobody knows. But the first time he was asked to make a play in Kansas City’s high-powered offense, he delivered.

“He got the reps in training camp, but he’s evolved with the offense more and more,” Mahomes said. “He wasn’t necessarily the first read on either one of (those two passes). But he came open, beat his guy in man to man coverage and I was able to find him and he was able to make the plays.”

Afterward, there was no big celebration from Yelder, outside of the joy he shared with his teammates following their 34-30 victory. He didn’t get a game ball for his contributions, but he made sure to keep his jersey from the game.

The red No. 82 he wore that afternoon will become part of Yelder’s collection, representing his first two catches in the league.

“It just happen fast, I was just thankful for the opportunity,” Yelder said. “When it came time, I just made a play.”