Chiefs roster evaluation: Travis Kelce makes his Hall of Fame case

In Andy Reid’s offense, the tight end will never be an overlooked position, but do the fans undervalue Travis Kelce’s impact?

Each offseason, we follow in the footsteps of our favorite team and evaluate the roster, position by position. Given the Super Bowl win and the ensuing hysteria, we’re doing so a bit later than ever this year. This is is a schedule we could get used to.

We started with quarterbacks on Monday, running backs on Tuesday, and receivers on Wednesday. Today, we’re taking a closer look at the tight end position and will continue through the rest of the roster over the next two weeks.

In our series, we’ll be asking three primary questions: 1.) What we thought would happen?, 2.) What actually happened?, and 3.) What have we learned going forward?

What we thought would happen at tight end?

Coming into the season, most fans and pundits believed they knew what the Chiefs had in All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. The 30 year old was entering his seventh season in the league, and coming off an All-Pro selection in 2018 in which he (briefly) set the record for the most receiving yards in a season by a tight end.

The general belief was that Kelce would continue to ascend the ranks of all-time tight end play and that, with the retirement of Rob Gronkowski, he could cement his place as the premier tight end in the entire NFL.

However, many questioned whether or not the Chiefs needed to invest in the TE2 position, citing a lack of experience overall, Kelce turning 30 and fearing injury, and improving pass catching options. Certainly, the departure of veteran Demetrius Harris, without a replacement, would have a negative impact on the team’s offensive production.

Instead, Kansas City opted to come in to the season with almost no experience behind Kelce. Blake Bell had athleticism, but the one time high school quarterback also came in to the year with 30 career receptions spread over four seasons. TE3 Deon Yelder was even less proven, coming off a rookie season in which he saw action in three games but had zero receptions.

This represented a major roll of the dice for Kansas City, and if Travis Kelce was injured at all, let alone for an extended period of time, it would cause massive issues for the offense. People were nervous – because while everyone knew Travis Kelce was an incredible player, it felt as if general manager Brett Veach had no backup plan.