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Kansas City Chiefs: Top ten training camp battles to watch

By Lyle Graversen

SAINT JOSEPH, MO - JULY 31: The team runs drills during Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp on July 31, 2011 in Saint Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
SAINT JOSEPH, MO - JULY 31: The team runs drills during Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp on July 31, 2011 in Saint Joseph, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 11: Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars watches Blake Bell #87 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catch a pass in the game against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – NOVEMBER 11: Blake Bortles #5 of the Jacksonville Jaguars watches Blake Bell #87 of the Jacksonville Jaguars catch a pass in the game against the Indianapolis Colts in the third quarter at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 11, 2018 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

7. Tight Ends (behind Travis Kelce)

While there certainly is no argument that no spot on the roster may be more wide open than the Chiefs number two tight end spot, I simply couldn’t justify putting it any higher on this list because I just don’t see the winner of this competition making a very big impact on the team.

Earlier this offseason I wrote about how over the course of his NFL coaching career Andy Reid simply hasn’t had very productive number two tight ends. In fact, the season averages for the second tight end in his offense over his entire career are just 15.3 receptions, 157.2 yards, and 1.4 touchdowns per season.

With the list of contenders for this spot being, shall we say, underwhelming, it’s hard to imagine any of them surpassing those averages this season. I will be happy to be proven wrong, but to me the concern about this position is not who will contribute (because none of them will likely contribute much), but what happens should Travis Kelce miss any time?

Most of the names competing for snaps as the second tight end are guys you typically would expect to see fighting for a third tight end spot. The three guys that I will be watching are Blake Bell, Deon Yelder, and John Lovett.

Bell is the biggest name of the group but is already on his fourth team in five seasons. Yelder is a former undrafted rookie who ended last season on KC’s active roster. I think he is the sleeper pick here. He may have the athleticism and size to play in both the pass and run game. Finally, John Lovett is an undrafted rookie who played quarterback in college at Princeton. He’s a good athlete and coming from the Ivy League you would expect him to be a quick learner. If nothing else, it will be fun to see how he adapts to playing tight end in training camp.

The other tight ends currently on the roster have a shot too given the lack of proven talent at the position, but none of their resumes do much for me. Again, I’d be happy to be proven wrong, but I would call tight end the top position that the Chiefs may target when roster cut downs begin to happen. I’ll be keeping an eye on the backup tight ends in camp. I’m just not expecting to see anyone who just blows me away.

Next up, the No. 6 camp battle.

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