The Kansas City Chiefs' tight end situation was a concern to begin the offseason. At least that was until Travis Kelce's return was confirmed. Now that No. 87 is slated for another season at Arrowhead Stadium, Chiefs fans are wondering what the TE situation will look like beyond Kelce.
If the season started today, Noah Gray would be the primary backup with Jared Wiley as the third option. In other words, it wouldn't be unreasonable to imagine that the Chiefs would like to add another tight end, especially if they don't want to put too much on Kelce's plate at this stage of his career.
Although he's still young (26), there are concerns about whether Gray is a legitimate TE2 or not. The former 2021 fifth-rounder finished last season with the lowest catch rate of his career at 56.8% and didn't catch a single touchdown for the only time in his five-year career.
Add in the fact that Gray only offered 178 receiving yards, and the Chiefs have every reason to seek competition as the offseason continues. With the 2026 NFL draft right around the corner and more time to add free agents, Gray's outlook should become clear soon.
Noah Gray Will Soon Get Clarity on His Chiefs Outlook
The fact that Gray is still on the Chiefs' roster suggests that they believe in him, to some degree. After all, the Chiefs could've released him to create $3.9 million in cap space, according to Spotrac — potential savings that will rise to $5.4 million after June 1.
Still, the next month is going to be telling due to the fact that free agency is starting to wind down, as well as the NFL draft offering the Chiefs the chance to draft a long-term answer at tight end. Kelce has flirted with retirement each of the past two offseasons and clearly isn't the dominating presence he was during his prime seasons.
It makes sense for the Chiefs to look to the future and attempt to draft for the future, with some standout names being Oregon's Kenyon Sadiq, Ohio State's Max Klare, and Notre Dame's Eli Raridon.
Adding another TE through the draft would likely be bad news for Gray. The Chiefs wouldn't need him for depth, as Wiley, Tre Watson, and Jake Briningstool are still under contract for at least the 2026 season.
It'll be interesting to see if Gray can do anything to avoid what appears to be a likely fate. It isn't as if he can get on the field between now and the draft to give the Chiefs' front office and coaching staff some new tape to consider. Instead, he has to hope that he's shown enough over the last five years to extend his stay in K.C.
If he survives the offseason on the roster, by some miracle, let's just hope that Gray can live up to his potential TE2 role. Otherwise, the Chiefs might not be patient enough to keep him around for the whole 2026 season.