Travis Kelce Stars in KC TE Room, but Noah Gray and Jared Wiley Bear Watching — KC Chiefs Positional Preview

The Kansas City Chiefs are bringing a fascinating roster of tight ends with them to training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. Highlighted by international superstar Travis Kelce, the Chiefs also have Noah Gray entering his fourth NFL season, offseason addition Irv Smith Jr., and rookie fourth-round draft pick Jared Wiley.

How can the Chiefs’ tight ends play their part in 2024?
Joshua Brisco: Travis Kelce is obviously the superstar of the tight end group, and I think we may be due for a recalibration in our conversations about him. Kelce is entering his age-35 season, which is obviously noteworthy, but Kelce has already broken the NFL’s typical aging curve. His 2023 season was widely considered to be a down year — when he finished second among NFL tight ends in receiving yards and third in receptions. The Chiefs would be wise to continue to keep Kelce’s snap count around the 75% mark in 2024, but I think Kelce is actually a better football player right now than he’s getting credit for.
Kelce was injured in the final practice before last year’s season-opener and suffered an ankle sprain against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 5. He didn’t fall off in ’23 — he played through injuries and still played at a high level. To be clear, Kelce’s injury potential at age 35 absolutely deserves to be a part of the conversation about his expectations, but he’s still the best tight end in football when he’s anything resembling healthy. Rewatch the playoffs if you need a reminder.

Jordan Foote: You’re absolutely right re: Kelce’s injury risk versus his expected quality of play. While he might be more likely to “slow down” or decline, it’s getting more and more probable that it’s due to external forces rather than the player himself. Both things can be true, and Kelce can still be an awesome player. If he would have appeared in one (1) more game last season, he would have crossed the 1,000-yard mark again and some of the national doubt would have faded away. The narrative of the Chiefs hoping to get postseason Kelce for all of 2024 might be a lofty bar to set, but if he comes even 85 or 90% close to that version of himself, it’d be nothing short of a home run in year No. 12.
Having quality backups (and better surrounding talent at wide receiver) should help keep him fresh. Even with the ability to spread defenses out, I would anticipate Andy Reid still wants to dial up 12- or 13-personnel looks on offense. That means Noah Gray, who’s entering a contract year, will remain an underrated contributor on offense. With Jody Fortson and Blake Bell having moved on, though, is it crazy to be more intrigued by the other tight ends in the room than the top options?

Brisco: It’s crazy not to be intrigued by Jared Wiley! I do still think Gray is clearly TE2 in this offense in 2024, and he’s played 52% of KC’s regular season offensive snaps each of the last two years. He’s a useful player, but even while playing more than half the snaps over the last two seasons, he has just 604 receiving yards in both years combined.
I thought Irv Smith Jr. may have a shot to be KC’s pass-catching TE3 in 2024 (and he still might), but then the Chiefs drafted Wiley in the fourth round. At 6-foot-6, Wiley immediately projects as a part-time weapon the Chiefs could implement to create mismatches, especially in the red zone. Don’t expect Wiley to have a statistically massive year as a rookie, but if he didn’t provide a couple of memorable plays in 2024, I’d be surprised.

Foote: Smith is nice depth and the Chiefs are no stranger to having four tight ends in the picture, but there seems to be a very clear hierarchy taking shape entering camp. The veteran signing can be insurance in case the rookie needs more time to develop, but Wiley fits the dynamic perfectly. His blend of vertical athleticism and size (and being a former QB) should come in handy in year one. Not having pressure on him while still maintaining a clear role on offense should be great for both him and KC.