Five Kansas City Chiefs who could step up and help the weakest positions
Tight Ends – Deon Yelder
The tight end position group could be thin in one sense, but in another sense it hasn’t been thin in years. It depends what and how you evaluate where he ultimately falls, but Travis Kelce is undeniably in the conversation for best tight end in the league. He has had several incredible seasons in a row on a team where he is not always the game plan’s main target.
On the other hand, when it comes to tight ends on the Kansas City Chiefs, Travis Kelce is it. It has become painfully evident in the last several years any time Kelce has had to miss time. The offense becomes anemic, a shell of itself.
Now, add to that the departure of Demetrius Harris. While fans had amusingly referred to Harris as “Incompletrius” because of his propensity for dropped passes, he was undoubtedly a great athlete. Every once in a while, he would make a tremendous play that forced opposing teams to account for him. His departure will be felt, as much as Chiefs’ fans hate to admit it.
What’s more, Andy Reid and the Chiefs enjoy running 12 personnel a significant amount of the time. 12 personnel requires two tight ends, and the last thing a Super Bowl challenger wants is to run a formation consistently with players who can’t handle the pressure. That is seemingly where the Chiefs find themselves with the tight end position.
The expected leaders for the second tight end role are Blake Bell and Deon Yelder. Playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018, Blake Bell saw 221 snaps. According to Pro Football Focus, he graded “Average” on offense overall and “Below Average” in receiving. While he has much more game experience, it seems the sentiment is that Deon Yelder is the player to watch for the second tight end spot.
There are three reasons to be optimistic about Deon Yelder. The first is receiving potential. Yelder is a player from mid-major program Western Kentucky. He was a productive receiving threat for one year, catching 52 passes for 688 yards and seven touchdowns. He was a high priority UDFA signing for the Saints before ultimately landing with the Chiefs during the season. It’s possible that with NFL level coaching you could see a decent improvement in Yelder’s technical ability from year one to year two.
The second is athleticism. At 6’4″ and 255 pounds, Yelder reportedly ran a 4.78 second 40-yard dash. This isn’t exactly blazing, but it is pretty quick for a player his size. Speed and receiving ability are coveted at the tight end position, and Yelder has good qualities in both.
The third is Yelder is reportedly a gritty run blocker. His primary negative from scouts coming out of college was that he lacked consistent technique. To reiterate, coaching at the mid-major level is nothing like coaching at the NFL level. It’s very possible Yelder could improve enough to make an impact on the field this year.
Add all three of these factors together, and you have good potential for a solid tight end. My prediction for this position group is that we won’t see a drop off, but we won’t see a dramatic improvement either. Harris’ productivity won’t be extremely hard to duplicate, but I don’t see Yelder or Bell making much more of a receiving impact than he did either.