Kansas City Chiefs: Noah Gray is quickly being integrated into the offense

It is always fun to project what rookies might do for a team in year one following the draft, but we never really know what the team has in store for them until training camp begins and the coaches start to implement them into the offense or defense.

All the young guys will get their reps one way or another in training camp and everyone will get an opportunity to display their skills. There’s nothing significant about a player getting reps. What is significant is where a player is getting reps and just how much.

Noah Gray is catching on quick with KC Chiefs offense

One Chiefs player in particular who is getting significant reps is rookie tight end Noah Gray. Gray has been getting reps with the first, second, and third team offense since the beginning of training camp.

The second and third team reps are just as important as the first in this scenario because it means the Chiefs want Gray to be involved as much as possible to get him quickly integrated into the offense. The first team reps are because the Chiefs want to trust Gray with the offense but the second and third team reps are to get Gray maximum reps so he can pick up the offense as quick as possible.

Surely a lot of players at training camp will get as many reps as possible so the Chiefs can get the best possible look at them, but it means something when the Chiefs are going above and beyond to give Gray an opportunity to learn with the offense.

Gray’s reps have been quality as well. Gray has also flashed at training camp, running good routes and making some impressive catches which has drawn the attention of the media.

Gray has also earned the attention of ESPN’s Louis Riddick, a national analyst with some intel into the Chiefs organization.

We already knew Gray had some similarities to Travis Kelce and had the receiving upside that the Chiefs have been looking for in a TE2 for a long time and now it seems like they’re wasting no time utilizing his talent.

Gray’s apparent emergence on the Chiefs depth chart should be no surprise. The Chiefs need someone on their young offense, specifically in the receiving game, to step up and be a reliable option behind Tyreek Hill. We’ve all been wondering how the Chiefs are going to make up for the loss of Sammy Watkins this offseason and the truth is Gray will probably be used along with a plethora of other options. You almost have to think of Gray as a receiver in that aspect because it is where he is going to be used quite a bit.

That’s where the Kelce comparisons really come into play again. The Chiefs will use Gray in relief of Kelce a lot while also using him in the H-back role or as a receiver much like they do with Kelce.

Gray is a player who we’ll likely see run a lot of quick routes and get open which like he did at Duke to get first downs and help with the red zone offense. It will be exciting to see how the Chiefs use Gray in preseason and how he does with pads on.