It’s rare for even the best NFL tight ends to achieve household name status, but with two Super Bowl rings on his fingers, a handful of well-received television guest star turns and one half of the NFL’s most dynamic duo, Travis Kelce is one of the guys even your mother knows. There’s a good chance she’d tell you to draft him early for your fantasy football lineup too.
Chiefs starting tight end: Travis Kelce
Kelce was selected as an All-Pro for the fourth time in his career last season, while also earning his eighth straight Pro Bowl nod from fans. On the stat sheet, he saw career highs in targets and receptions, with 152 looks and 110 catches. He rolled up 1,338 yards and scored 12 times, also a career best mark. He was third in the NFL in catches, second in receiving touchdowns and eighth in receiving yards.
There were whispers about Kelce potentially retiring after winning another Super Bowl with the Chiefs. He obviously didn’t. Still, that eventuality can’t be too far off—Kelce turns 34 in October. He’s under contract through 2025, and as long as he’s on the field, it’s a safe bet that he’ll be the top performing tight end in the NFL again this season.
Who is Travis Kelce’s backup on the Chiefs TE depth chart?
There really isn’t anyone waiting in the wings to step into Kelce’s role. The backup job last year belonged to Noah Gray. A fifth-round pick out of Duke in the 2021 NFL Draft, Gray had a regular role in the offense last year, playing in al 17 games with at least one target. For the season, he had 28 catches for 299 yards and a touchdown.
There’s also Blake Bell, who the Chiefs signed as a free agent in 2021. They re-signed him ahead of last season, but a hip injury kept him off the field for almost the entire year. And they brought him back on another one-year deal for this year. If he’s healthy, he could compete with Gray for the second slot on the tight end depth chart.