K.C. Chiefs tight end room will look very familiar in 2021

On Monday evening, the K.C. Chiefs made things official with tight end Nick Keizer—namely, that he would be returning on a one-year deal after being tendered an offer a few days prior. It’s move that provides continuity at the position, and it keeps the overall tight end room looking very familiar heading into another season in 2021.

At this point, the Chiefs have three tight ends on the roster who have spent considerable time on the active roster in years past. Travis Kelce is, of course, the starter with Keizer installed as a familiar back up who played in all 16 games last year in his first year making the active roster. This offseason, the Chiefs also brought back tight end Blake Bell, who impressed the team as a solid blocker in a one-year stint in 2019 before signing with the Dallas Cowboys in free agency a year ago.

The only other player on the roster at the position right now is Evan Baylis, a former rookie free agent turned journeyman who has bounced between six total teams in his four year NFL career. He’s played in 11 total games in parts of three seasons in the NFL and saw minimal time in five games last year for the Arizona Cardinals. The Chiefs signed him to the practice squad during the postseason run and then extended him a futures offer to stay for the offseason as well.

While Baylis could surprise the team with an outstanding preseason and training camp, the expectations are set that the team will once again feature Kelce, Bell, and Keizer as the primary trio, which means the tight end position would once again look very familiar heading into another year. From season to season, the dominance of Kelce atop the depth chart already keeps much turnover from happening at the spot, but the team has been very patient with backups, who are often given multiple seasons to grow with coaching and playing time.

The K.C. Chiefs tight end room looks familiar.

From Demetrius Harris and Ross Travis to Deon Yelder and now Nick Keizer, the Chiefs seem quite content to stick with familiar faces in those roles and avoid any real investment given the presence of Kelce as a perennial All-Pro.

It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs decide to pass over the tight end class in this year’s draft given that Brett Veach identified getting Kelce some help as an offseason priority. Perhaps that was the addition of Bell in a returning role or maybe he intends to grab one of the more promising players in the 2021 draft class. The Chiefs have been in contact with Brevin Jordan of Miami.

The presence of a player like Keizer or Bell is not going to keep Veach from grabbing a tight end if he loves the value on the team’s draft board, but the trio of experienced players also means the team doesn’t need to reach for any additional help either. It’s very possible we’re looking at the same three tight ends the team will carry into the regular season nearly six months from now.