Ricky Seals-Jones gives Chiefs offense strong depth at tight end

Ricky Seals-Jones has only nine starts in his career. Now joining the best offense in the NFL, Seals-Jones adds to an already-great supporting cast.

It is no surprise why wide receiver Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce are the most talked about pass catchers in Kansas City’s dynamic offense. Since 2015, the two share nine Pro Bowl appearances and seven All-Pro honors. But Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has also benefitted from the offense’s supporting cast, such as receivers Demarcus Robinson, Mecole Hardman and Byron Pringle.

Earlier this offseason, the Chiefs signed tight end Ricky Seals-Jones. Provided that Kelce stays healthy, Seals-Jones’ best case scenario would be a backup tight end spot on the team come September. However, Seals-Jones should see a lot of time in this offense.

Although Seals-Jones is a backup, having started just nine games in his three-year career, he has a lot of tools that can help Kansas City’s offense return to its 2018 form when the Chiefs had the third-highest scoring output in NFL history. Even as a backup, Seals-Jones has something to offer that past backup tight ends in Kansas City have not been able to bring.

In the three years Seals-Jones has played in the NFL, he has 60 catches for 773 yards and 8 touchdowns. Compare that to Blake Bell, who was the backup tight end last year for the Chiefs, who had only had 19 catches for 153 yards and zero touchdown grabs in the last three years. Bell played only one season in Kansas City. Demetrius Harris, who was the backup tight end in Kansas City before Bell, had 45 receptions for 537 yards and 7 touchdowns.

When comparing Seals-Jones to Bell and Harris in the last three years, Seals-Jones, statistically speaking, has had the better career. It is worth noting that Seals-Jones has worked with seven different quarterbacks in the last three seasons in Cleveland and Arizona. Despite that, his numbers are still high for a backup tight end and better than recent backup tight ends the Chiefs have had.

Given the stacked offense the Chiefs have, it is reasonable to wonder if Seals-Jones can put up similar or better numbers in Kansas City. The important part is that Seals-Jones will provide better depth at tight end for the Chiefs compared to what the offense has had in recent years. Seals-Jones will help supplement the extra push the offense needs from its supporting cast. Even more, if Kelce misses any time due to an injury, Seals-Jones will be a viable fill-in and can help Mahomes and the offense keep moving.

Seals-Jones might be a backup tight end, but he will still prove to an asset in Kansas City if he makes the 53-man roster in 2020.