Travis Kelce Leads Deep Chiefs Tight End Room – Can Another TE Step Up After the Bye?

Do the Kansas City Chiefs currently have the best supporting cast they’ve ever had surrounding Travis Kelce at the tight end position? Can this quartet of active-roster tight ends lift the offense as the team battles brutal injuries at wide receiver?
Those are some of the questions Jordan Foote of Kansas City Chiefs On SI and I will seek to answer as we continue to go position-by-position to get a closer look at the 2024 Chiefs during the team’s bye week. Starting with Kelce, the Chiefs have a fascinating group of tight ends for the remainder of the 2024 season.

Joshua Brisco: The easiest player to discuss in the Chiefs’ tight end room is still 35-year-old Travis Kelce. We’ve finally cleared the hysteria of the first few weeks of the season; he’s still Travis Kelce. He is, of course, a different player than he was five years ago, but he’s still KC’s top healthy pass catcher, and the Chiefs can three-peat with him remaining a top option. However, that’s no excuse to force Kelce to carry the passing game on his back again this season, and we’re on the same page regarding the idea that the Chiefs should add another wide receiver to help Kelce shoulder the burden of the offense. Still, even as the rest of the tight end room has gotten more interesting, the offense is back to running through Kelce.
Jordan Foote: It was borderline hilarious watching the first few weeks of the season and seeing the Kelce takes fly around. He was still getting open but just wasn’t getting the ball. Those breaks happen. I’m with you on him being capable of serving as the Chiefs’ go-to pass catcher, as well as there being no real reason to force him into high-volume production for most of the year. If the Chiefs want Kelce at his best for the postseason, having him take a beating every week is the exact opposite way to ensure that.
Aside from the wideout possibilities, it seems like Noah Gray is making good on his contract extension. He’s converted on all but one of his targets and is posting career-best marks in yards per catch, yards per game and success rate. Still, though, it seems like there’s a bit more he can do. Is there a world where Gray gets featured more consistently on offense? You’re on record documenting how consistent his snap counts have been over the years.

Brisco: Noah Gray, Mr. 52%! He’s a valuable player but, to that point, his role seems clearly defined in the Chiefs’ eyes. I’m always happy to see the ball heading Gray’s direction on third down, but I don’t think he’ll see an immense increase in targets after the bye simply because the Chiefs haven’t pushed that on him in the past.

It is interesting that the Chiefs used all four rostered tight ends on Monday Night Football, including the recently returning prodigal son, Jody Fortson. (That may be an overstatement. I’ve just always liked Fortson.) Rookie Jared Wiley has retained his occasional usage, culminating with a season-high 18 offensive snaps against the Saints, which is perfectly acceptable for a fourth-round rookie with a steep learning curve. All in all, I find myself really liking KC’s tight end room with Kelce and three complimentary pieces. It’s a deep room with both proven and high-upside players, fit into appropriate roles. Unfortunately, in light of the team’s suddenly shallow group of wide receivers, I can’t talk myself into Gray, Wiley or Fortson taking on a significant portion of Rashee Rice’s vacated targets, though I’d certainly approve of Gray being given a chance to try.

Foote: Wiley is the player I’m really interested in long-term. I think we mostly know who Gray is at this point, even if his workload grows. Fortson will always be more hype than substance (unfortunately) until he can stay healthy and/or make an impact for an extended stretch. Wiley didn’t seem to stand out in a great way during the preseason and hasn’t shined through five weeks but, as you mentioned, his snap share seems appropriate right now. He seems to be the only rostered tight end with the allure of potentially “hitting” at a high level down the road. It still doesn’t answer any questions for 2024, though, which is fine. The Chiefs seem perfectly satisfied with the group they have, and for good reason. There aren’t many deeper positions on the depth chart at this point.