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Travis Kelce ready to be locker room leader for Kansas City Chiefs

By Matt Conner

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 03: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce visits the SiriusXM set at Super Bowl LI Radio Row at the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM )
HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 03: Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce visits the SiriusXM set at Super Bowl LI Radio Row at the George R. Brown Convention Center on February 3, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Cindy Ord/Getty Images for SiriusXM ) /
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Travis Kelce says he realizes he’s going to have to help fill the void of leadership in the Chiefs locker room given how young the offense is.

Travis Kelce is a old man compared to those around him these days. Considering the entire wide receiver unit for the Kansas City Chiefs is a 25-and-under club, and the entire offensive unit is quite young overall, the Pro Bowl tight end knows this is a key year for him to step up and be a leader of men in the locker room and on the field. Fortunately, he’s ready for the task.

Last year was a breakout season for Kelce. His third NFL season (fourth overall, although he lost his first year to injury) brought about a career-high in nearly every possible category, including catches (85), receiving yards, (1,125) and yards per catch (13.2). It’s now his time to breakout, so to speak, as a leader and role model, someone who can help guide other pass catchers on the field and off of it.

On Sunday, after practice at training camp, Kelce was asked about the changes he needs to make this season and he brought up being accountable in terms of leadership.

"More from Arrowhead AddictFormer Chiefs cornerback in legal trouble in Las VegasChiefs Kingdom: Get ready to break contract newsChiefs news: Travis Kelce wants to host fan ‘chug-off’ in GermanyPodcast: Breaking down the Chiefs biggest roster battlesKC Chiefs send Dave Merritt to NFL coaching acceleratorI feel like I need to be a little bit more accountable in terms of the locker room and just being a leader. I know we have a really young team on the offensive side of the ball and we need a lot of leadership to hone in the fun that we have. It’s a little bit more accountability I put on myself to be there for everybody and make sure that everybody’s doing the right things and being professionals."

The comments from Kelce are interesting considering that he’s seemed more interesting in being a comical figure on the team until now. From his own reality dating show on E! to a certain, ahem, gesture toward a ref, Kelce has been his own man, a charismatic player with a spirited personality and strong sense of humor. Heading into this fifth season in the NFL however, it’s clear Kelce has grown up a bit.

Kelce will turn 28-years-old in October.

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