3 significant questions for Kansas City Chiefs at tight end

Can Noah Gray handle the hybrid role?

Earlier this offseason, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about the lack of fullbacks on the roster. Instead of saying that Brett Veach might end up adding someone before training camp or intimating that they were still figuring some things out, he made it clear the Chiefs were going without in 2023.

The Chiefs have a crowded tight end room, and the loss of Michael Burton this offseason to the Denver Broncos opened up the possibility that a player like Noah Gray could assume a hybrid sort of role. Instead of having a player like Burton or Anthony Sherman in previous years occupy a roster spot for only a handful of snaps each game and a special teams role, the Chiefs decided to go with Gray as a player who can handle it all.

The idea of freeing up a roster spot is an encouraging one because it should allow the Chiefs to keep a greater amount of depth elsewhere by eschewing anyone in a full-time fullback role in 2023. However, it also has be asked whether or not Gray can handle that role. The downside to being a jack-of-all-trades is that you're a master of none, and in the NFL, specialization is often the name of the game.

This is all a minor point, to be clear, but it is what's being demanded of Noah Gray, and the Chiefs are hoping he's up for the physical demands of a rarely used fullback position as well as his normal responsibilities on special teams and tight end.