Coming into another offseason for the Kansas City Chiefs, most of the attention when it comes to potential fan interest is on free agency and rightfully so. We’re only a few weeks from the frenzy of free agent tampering and rumors will be flying around well before the legal tampering is allowed. Even now, Chiefs Kingdom is already asking what’s going to happen (or not) with the team’s stars like safety Tyrann Mathieu.
The Chiefs have a lot of decisions to make in the next few weeks, however, because Mathieu is just one of 25 free agents (restricted and unrestricted) set to hit the open market, which means the Chiefs need to know their interest and financial ceiling for each player. That includes our first entry in our Chiefs free agent profile series: tight end Blake Bell.
Bell is an ideal entry to begin with because he’s the sort of player who is easily overlooked yet one who also provides clear value to the team. Some cases for re-signing a player are pretty clear, for better or worse, in a given year, but most players come with pros and cons for the reasons why they might be signed and Bell is one.
As we survey the Kansas City Chiefs free agents-to-be, let’s explore the case for bringing back tight end Blake Bell for the 2022 season.
Remember this: the Chiefs once had Bell, decided against bringing him back (or allowed him to walk), only to then bring him back again in 2021 on a one-year deal. It was a welcome return to K.C. for the veteran tight end, and the Chiefs clearly wanted to bring him back. Now they must make the same decision heading into another offseason.
Let’s take a closer look at what Bell brings to the team, what he would likely have to offer in 2022, and what we think will ultimately happen for Bell in free agency (and for the Chiefs).
Why bring him back?
Bell is the definition of a journeyman tight end, having found steady work on a string of one-year deals with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs on two separate stints in the last four years—and that’s before being drafted in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2015 and playing in Minnesota for the Vikings for two years as well.
While the value play here might seem low, Bell has provided a reliable blocking presence for the Chiefs at the position for two separate seasons now and it’s very telling they brought him back after a season away. He’s graded well as a pass blocker for the last four seasons, per PFF, and he knows the system.
Offensively, Bell is a bit part but he doesn’t complain about it. Last year, he caught 9 of 13 targets for 87 yards and that’s a pretty standard season on the stat sheet for Bell. He is also known as the Belldozer in Chiefs Kingdom and rushed 4 times in 2021 for 4 first downs for the Chiefs on those short yardage situations.
In addition, it needs to be said that any deal to bring Bell back would probably mirror his one-year deal worth $1.1 million for this season.
Why let him leave?
The room is too crowded and Bell has no real differentiator. While Bell is the best blocker of the unit, the truth is that the Chiefs were forced to carry four tight ends as it was at the beginning of the 2021 season. Noah Gray is the obvious backup and security blanket for Travis Kelce and should grow into a greater weapon. Meanwhile, Jody Fortson is the red zone target who could provide the sort of big blocker and is coming back from injury.
The truth is that Bell’s skill set isn’t so special that the Chiefs couldn’t find someone else to do it and the cupboards already look fairly full at the position. Do the Chiefs really plan on carrying four tight ends again? Remember that carrying four at one position means carrying fewer at another spot—and it’s likely a much more important spot at that.
Recommendation
Here’s the truth about the tight end spot right now. Travis Kelce is in his prime and should be good for another 1,000 yard season at least in 2022 and perhaps beyond. From there, however, nothing is quite certain.
It’s possible to say that Noah Gray looked promising but nothin more considering how little he played and how few his opportunities were. And as a blocker, the Chiefs should not let Bell go to lean on whatever progress Gray makes from there. As for Fortson, he was an eye-opener in the preseason and even hauled in some incredible catches early on, but coming off of a serious injury makes him a question as well.
If Bell is interested in playing another season in the NFL, the Chiefs would do well to sign him to the 90-man offseason roster and have him stick around through training camp as the safety net for tight ends. Throughout the offseason, the team could monitor just how ready Gray and Fortson are for larger roles as potential No. 2 and 3 tight ends, allowing them to gauge how they might fare with and without Bell’s reliable presence.
However, that deal would likely have to be very team-friendly which means something close to last year. This sounds reasonable and realistic.
Prediction
The Chiefs re-sign Blake Bell after the first couple of weeks in free agency to a 1-year, $1.4 million contract.