Sure, Travis Kelce returns, but could Kansas City Chiefs eye other moves at tight end?
A few days before the Super Bowl, a journalist had sought to analyze the relationship between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
Had Mahomes made a point to feed Kelce the football? Did he even know before the play that he was throwing to Kelce? Were there times he would force a pass, knowing Kelce could make a difficult catch?
Nah, it wasn’t that complicated. The explanation for the best season for a tight end in NFL history had a quick answer.
“He’s been open,” Mahomes said.
That simple explanation is the greatest separator between Kelce and his peers. He gets open —now more than ever.
Kelce caught 105 passes for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2020 — all career-best marks, and the yardage is the highest for any tight end in NFL history.
As The Star focus its positional analysis lens on the tight ends — after examining the offensive line and defensive line — the conversation will be dominated by Kelce.
But there’s more to it.
The Chiefs played a tight end not named Kelce on roughly 40% of their offensive snaps last season. So while Kelce provides stability to the position, as we look back and look ahead, there could be some change down the depth chart.
2020 FINAL ROSTER: Travis Kelce, Ricky Seals-Jones, Nick Keizer, Deon Yelder
2021 FREE AGENT: Ricky Seals-Jones
EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENT: Nick Keizer
RESTRICTED FREE AGENT: Deon Yelder
POSITION REVIEW
The best tight end in football resides in Kansas City. After his record-setting regular season, Kelce had three 100-yard games in the playoffs, catching at least eight passes in each, and he totaled three touchdowns.
If you’ve come to this space, you know plenty about Kelce.
The Chiefs, however, aren’t shy about putting their second and even third tight ends on the field. Nick Keizer played 302 snaps, and Deon Yelder played 194. Ricky Seals-Jones, an offseason free agent acquisition, managed just six. The three players combined for 13 catches for 99 yards and zero touchdowns.
That’s two straight seasons in which the TE2 role has provided little in the passing game for a pass-heavy team. Yes, the occupation of the position is mostly blocking in nature, and Keizer and Yelder both graded out near league-average in those duties, but the hope is to gather some additional contribution as a receiver. The Chiefs didn’t find that much in 2020.
Which leads us to ...
LOOKING AHEAD
Kelce will be around awhile after signing a four-year extension last summer. But might the Chiefs look to improve the production of his backup? They used to target Demetrius Harris occasionally — he had 30 catches and four touchdowns in his final two seasons in Kansas City.
But coach Andy Reid has shied away from making the deeper parts of the tight end depth chart options in the receiving game. By choice? Or dictated by personnel?
It’s unlikely the Chiefs would look to allocate significant funds toward changing that, but it’s also not a position that requires top dollar if the Chiefs want to bring in some competition. They wouldn’t have to give up on their younger players to do it, either.
Keizer is an exclusive rights free agent, meaning if the Chiefs simply offer him a one-year contract, he cannot listen to offers from other teams. For someone who played 27% of the offensive snaps in his first season seeing the field, that’s cheap.
Yelder is a restricted free agent, so while he can look elsewhere, if he finds a contract he likes, the Chiefs would have the opportunity to match it if they wish.
ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK?
The Chiefs added Seals-Jones as a pass-catching option, comfortable Keizer and Yelder could provide the blocking security of a second tight end. But Seals-Jones added virtually nothing on a game days. He played just six snaps and did not catch a pass, which all but paves the way for his exit in free agency.
It’s not a major cost-cutting move — Seals-Jones earned less than $1 million in 2020. At the position, Kelce carries the lone high price tag, counting $13.3 million against the cap, and he’s not going anywhere.