The 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the books. The Kansas City Chiefs came away with a good group of players that address several critical needs in the short term. However, I’m a little anxious that the Chiefs didn’t target a position that is a looming major concern: tight end.
Looking at Kansas City’s tight end depth chart, what’s there has me feeling uneasy and I’m anxious the Chiefs could find themselves too shallow too soon at the position.
Kelce is still productive (but time is undefeated)
Of course, there is Travis Kelce, a legend and the clear TE1 on the team. But at age 36 (turning 37 in October), there is no denying that he is at the back end of his incredible career. His productivity has still been strong—he led the team in receiving yards last season (851) and tied for most receiving touchdowns (5)—but it’s clear his speed and evasiveness are declining.
What worries me are the options outside of Kelce. This could be his final season before retirement and it’s hard to argue that his long-term replacement is on Kansas City’s roster at the moment.
The depth behind Kelce inspires little confidence
After a breakout season in 2024, it seemed like Noah Gray was poised to take on the future role of TE1. But after 40 catches, 437 yards and five touchdowns in 2024, Gray’s numbers dropped significantly to 21 receptions, 178 yards and zero touchdowns.
That decline came in the first season of a three-year, $18 million contract extension that Gray signed after 2024, with Gray set to account for $14 million against the cap over the next two years. The Chiefs are paying top-30 TE money for a player who ranked 50th or lower in receptions, yards and touchdowns at his position last year.
Jared Wiley is Kansas City’s third tight end, but he hasn’t made an impact in his first two seasons. The Chiefs drafted him in the fourth round and his scouting report showed he was a speedy TE with great YAC ability, strong hands and good blocking skills, but we haven’t seen those traits on an NFL field yet.
An ACL injury ended Wiley’s rookie season early, and he only played in five games last season, catching one pass on one target for four yards. The potential might still be there, but hopes of him being Kansas City’s next top TE have cooled significantly.
I’m far from convinced that Gray or Wiley could step into the starting tight end role in the future and be meaningful contributors on offense, and the Chiefs know they’ll have to replace Kelce likely sooner rather than later, which is why I thought this was the perfect time for Kansas City to dip back into the TE pool at the draft.
The draft felt like the right time to act
Most mock drafts I saw had the Chiefs taking a tight end in the fourth or fifth round, names like Oscar Delp, Sam Roush, Eli Raridon, and Justin Joly, but that’s not how the board fell. Delp, Roush, and Raridon all went in the third round, a round Kansas City didn’t have a pick in after including it in the package to move up from No. 9 to No. 6 in the first round. Kansas City opted not to take Joly in the fourth round, and he was off the board by the time they were picking in the fifth.
I understand that you can’t draft everybody and fill every need. The Chiefs taking a tight end would have meant not drafting a defensive back, running back, or wide receiver—all of which are all positions of need as well.
That said, I’m concerned about where this will leave the Chiefs going forward. If Kelce retires after next season, who will the Chiefs turn to? If Gray and WIley aren’t the answers, which I don’t think they are, Kansas City will either have to target a potentially costly tight end in free agency (Kyle Pitts and T.J Hockenson are free agents in 2027) or invest a higher draft pick in a prospect in the next draft who could potentially start as a rookie.
All those are viable options, but I would have preferred targeting a tight end this year instead. Drafting one would have given the player more time to learn and to develop before being asked to take over the starting job. Then, if they are not up to the task, the Chiefs still have an opportunity to find a different replacement for Kelce before he’s already gone.
The Chiefs did sign TE John Michael Gyllenborg as an undrafted free agent, a super athletic player from Wyoming with one of the highest Relative Athletic Scores ever recorded at the position, but that feels more like a roll of the dice rather than an actual replacement plan. Remember, Jake Briningstool was also an undrafted sensation a year ago.
While tight end might not be a problem right now, it will be in the very near future. Kansas City’s options outside of Kelce are limited and I thought the draft would have been the perfect time to reinforce the position.
Add us as a preferred source on Google