A well-traveled safety who transferred from Oklahoma State to Ohio State before carving out an NFL journeyman career.
Tanner McCalister is a safety for the Kansas City Chiefs who has made stops with four other NFL organizations since going undrafted in 2023. A finance graduate who earned multiple academic honors in college, he has built his career on special-teams reliability and depth versatility.
Path to the league
McCalister played four seasons at Oklahoma State from 2018 to 2021 before transferring to Ohio State for his final collegiate season in 2022 to join defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. He went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft and signed with the Cleveland Browns.
Career highlights
At Oklahoma State, McCalister earned Big 12 all-academic honors three times and posted a career-best 2021 season with 42 tackles and an interception. In his lone season at Ohio State, he intercepted three passes while helping anchor the Buckeyes' secondary.
2025 season recap
McCalister signed with the New York Jets in 2025 but was waived before the season began. He later signed with the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad in mid-December before earning a spot on the active roster.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Tanner McCalister
- NFL.com: Tanner McCalister
Statistics
2025 season and career▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | broncos | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | browns | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Safety
- Group
- defense
- College
- Ohio State
- Hometown
- Rockwall, TX, USA
- Age
- 26
- Status
- active
