The Kansas City Chiefs are set to kick off training camp in less than a month, and with the annual trek to St. Joseph nearly here, we're going to spend the next few weeks examining every position group on the roster heading into camp.
We'll continue with the tight ends, where the Chiefs currently employ seven players. Let's take a look at each, beginning with last year's returning players in future Pro Football Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, Noah Gray and Jared Wiley. After those three, the rest of the Chiefs' tight ends are listed alphabetically.
Travis Kelce
One of the greatest pass-catchers to ever play the game, Kelce is compiling a resume that ranks up there with legendary wide receivers such as Jerry Rice and Marvin Harrison. In fact, Kelce now owns the NFL record for consecutive seasons with 80+ catches in league history with nine, passing Rice, Harrison and Torry Holt.
Kelce caught 97 passes for 823 yards and three touchdowns last year, ranking third among all tight ends in catches and fifth in receiving yards. He was at his best during the Chiefs' postseason run once again, too, with 13 grabs for 175 yards and a touchdown.
In fact, Kelce owns the NFL record for any player – regardless of position – with 178 postseason catches. Additionally, his 2,078 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns both rank second in NFL postseason history behind only Rice.
The examples and statistics are practically endless. Kelce is an all-time great in the history of the NFL, and now back for his 13th season, he'll have a chance to build on his already incredible legacy.
Noah Gray
Gray enters his fifth season with Kansas City after setting career-bests in catches (40), receiving yards (437) and receiving touchdowns (5) in 2024. He caught at least three passes in eight of his 17 games, but a significant chunk of Gray's role was as an in-line blocker (325 of his 663 total offensive snaps). He also led all Chiefs offensive players with 178 special teams' snaps.
The 26-year-old Gray has been one of the unsung heroes of the Chiefs' recent run of success, consistently handling a variety of unselfish roles while also contributing the occasional big play.
Jared Wiley
The Chiefs' selection at No. 131 overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Wiley led all FBS tight ends in touchdown catches (8) and red zone touchdown grabs (5) during his final season at TCU in 2023.
He went on to log 94 offensive snaps as rookie for Kansas City last season before suffering a torn ACL prior to Week 8. Fortunately, Head Coach Andy Reid provided a positive update on Wiley's rehab progress in the context of whether he could potentially be ready for training camp:
"I think we're going to be OK there," Reid said. "He got some work in the last couple days, so I think we'll be fine there."
Keep in mind, Wiley was ranked as the No. 4 tight end in the 2024 draft class according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler. Once fully healthy, he'll have an opportunity to capitalize on his tremendous potential.
Jake Briningstool
An undrafted free agent signee, Briningstool – a prototypical "move" tight end during his time at Clemson – lined up in the slot on 59.3% of his snaps over the last two seasons. He tallied 99 receptions for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns in that time, and overall, his 127 career receptions were the most in school history by a tight end.
Briningstool was the No. 10 tight end and a projected fifth-round pick on Dane Brugler's big board for The Athletic. He didn't hear his name called during draft weekend, but he'll now have a shot to earn his spot in the NFL this summer.
Geor'Quarius Spivey
Spivey, who earned a contract in June following a successful tryout at mandatory minicamp, is back for his second stint with the Chiefs after spending a portion of last year's training camp with Kansas City.
The 6-foot-5, 240-pound Spivey was waived as part of final cuts prior to the season, and in the time since, he spent time with the Houston Roughnecks in the UFL. He has yet to appear in a regular-season NFL game as a professional.
Prior to his time in the NFL, Spivey appeared in 52 games between Mississippi State (2018-20, 2023) and TCU (2021-22).
Robert Tonyan
Tonyan returns to the Chiefs after spending the last few weeks of the 2024 campaign on the practice squad. A seven-year veteran, Tonyan had several productive seasons with the Green Bay Packers between the 2020 and 2022 seasons. Notably, he tallied 52 grabs for 586 yards and 11 touchdowns during the 2020 campaign. He later followed that up with a 53-catch, 470-yard season in 2022.
Still just 31 years old, Tonyan will now have an opportunity to earn a spot in the Chiefs' tight end room.
Tre Watson
An undrafted rookie signee, Watson transferred to Texas A&M ahead of the 2024 campaign after three seasons at Fresno State. He went on to catch 21 passes for 280 yards and one touchdown during his lone season in College Station.
The 6-foot-4, 247-pound Watson was utilized primarily as an in-line tight end during his one year with the Aggies.
The Bottom Line
The Chiefs kept four tight ends for Week 1 last season in Kelce, Gray, Wiley and Peyton Hendershot, marking the fourth time in the last five seasons that Kansas City began the season with four tight ends.
Behind Travis Kelce, Noah Gray's roster spot may as well be written in ink, and Jared Wiley seems like a good bet to make the team as he continues to make progress in his injury rehab.
That then leaves four players competing for potentially one spot in Briningstool, Spivey, Tonyan and Watson. All four players will have every opportunity to show what they can do during camp as they pursue either a roster spot or a position on the practice squad.
