Kansas City Chiefs fans have been blessed at the tight end position. For the better part of two decades, either Tony Gonzalez or Travis Kelce have been TE1. Two of the game’s best tight ends have been Chiefs and that is something that fans take for granted.
While Gonzalez is the past, Kelce is the present for Kansas City. Kelce led the 2021 tight end group that included veteran Blake Bell, rookie Noah Gray, and preseason darling Jody Fortson. That group accounted for about a quarter of Kansas City’s passing game, specifically:
- Passing Targets – 25.4%
- Receiving Touchdowns – 32%
- Receiving Yards – 26.2%
That production is commonplace for the Chiefs, no matter the depth, offensive coordinator, or quarterback frankly. Both Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes utilized the position as a security blanket and occasional primary option.
Entering 2022, Kansas City’s tight ends were not bad, but there are causes for concern.
Back to Kelce, the position’s success starts and ends with him. The franchise great has been selected to every Pro Bowl since 2015. Also, he has not finished lower than the AP’s second team (All-Pro) since 2016, with three first-team selections in that span. 2022 could be the season where Kelce surpasses 800 career receptions or 10,000 career receiving yards. Kansas City has relied on Kelce for nearly a decade, and that decline is coming sooner rather than later.
The Chiefs enter 2022 with only Kelce and Gray under contract. Bell is an unrestricted free agent, while Fortson is an exclusive rights free agent. Turnover is expected to happen and is not uncommon for the Chiefs at tight end. With Kelce not getting any younger, is the position destined for a downturn in 2022?