The Chiefs have solid tight end depth but no clear heir to Travis Kelce

When it comes to tight end play, the Chiefs are the epitome of success. Since 1997, the Kansas City Chiefs have had one of the best TE rooms in the NFL, starting with Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez. The Chiefs then added Tony Moeaki, who had a great start to his career but was derailed by injuries before being replaced by future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce.

The Chiefs are now preparing for life without Kelce, who signed a one-year extension this offseason but is now 36 and will be debating his future on a year-to-year basis. The Chiefs have good depth behind Kelce, but there has not been an apparent heir to his throne in the organization. So where does the Chiefs' TE room stand as we head into the 2026 season?

Travis Kelce

There is no doubt that Kelce will be the starting TE for the Chiefs in 2026. In his 12-year career, he has never finished with fewer than 800 receiving yards, including a stretch from 2016 to 2022 of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

While he has taken a bit of a step back athletically, Kelce is still one of the best tight ends in the league. He has an incredible feel for zone coverage, runs consistent routes, and is a reliable blocker. Even if this is the last season of his career, Kelce will go down as arguably the greatest tight end in NFL history and should become a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.

Noah Gray

When the Chiefs drafted Noah Gray in the fifth round of the 2021 draft out of Duke, the idea was that he would help the Chiefs run more 12 personnel to open things up for Kelce as a receiver. So far in his career, Gray has been a somewhat traditional inline tight end who can do it all. He is a good athlete but will not dominate anyone with speed or strength. Barring a trade to free up cap space, Gray is a lock to make the Week 1 roster, and the Chiefs will evaluate his future with the team this offseason.

Jared Wiley

Coming out of TCU in 2024, Wiley was one of my favorite tight ends in the draft, with an impressive frame and a well-rounded skill set that was sure to provide depth at the NFL level. Wiley is an impressive athlete who caught my eye often with the Horned Frogs because of his incredible athleticism for someone of his size. With the future of the Chiefs' tight end room very much up for grabs, Wiley has the potential to take advantage of this season to win the starting job in 2027.

Jake Briningstool

In the 2025 draft, scouts had grades as high as the third round on Briningstool because of his incredible ability to impact the game as a receiver. I had a fifth-round grade on Briningstool, and when he fell out of the draft, he became one of my top UDFA prospects. The Chiefs signed him as one of their top-priority, post-draft additions, but an early-season hamstring injury sidelined him for the year. Briningstool is on the roster bubble this offseason but could earn a role with a strong offseason.

John Michael Gyllenborg

Coming into the 2026 draft, there were many scouts who had Day 2 grades on JMG, but in a very strong tight end class, he fell out of the draft and became a priority free agent addition. The Chiefs picked him up, hoping he could provide some competition for the third- or fourth-tight end spots on the roster. JMG moves well and has all the athletic skills to be a high-quality depth tight end in the NFL, and this offseason, he will have to prove his skills will translate from Wyoming to the NFL.

Tre Watson

Watson spent most of 2025 on Kansas City's practice squad after signing as a UDFA out of Texas A&M. Coming out of college, Watson projected as a strong depth piece because of his frame and ability to contribute as a blocker and as a checkdown option. He does not have the athletic tools to be a TE1 in the NFL, but with proper development, Watson feels like he has the skills to be a well-rounded depth piece.

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