Chiefs have a stacked deck at tight end behind Travis Kelce for 2025 season | OneFootball

The Kansas City Chiefs were never going to find themselves destitute at the tight end position coming into 2025, no matter what Travis Kelce was going to do.

The Chiefs have been quite responsible to maintain consistency at tight end into the foreseeable future, likely because of Kelce's own indecision about his future in the NFL. Last offseason, the Chiefs made a new three-year contract offer to Noah Gray, who promptly accepted, giving them a nice bridge from a proven player through the 2026 campaign.

This offseason, Kelce took a couple of weeks to make up his mind about whether or not his playing days were over before citing that he was ready to come back and rid himself of the bitter taste of the Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. That meant the Chiefs were bringing back their dynamic duo at tight end.

The Robert Tonyan signing only further bolstered an already strong position for the Chiefs.

Yet even beyond that, the Chiefs have upside and depth at the position.

Last spring, the Chiefs selected Jared Wiley out of Texas Christian University in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. While a slightly older prospect, Wiley joined the Chiefs as a strong pass catcher with very good speed and athleticism for a player his size (6'6", 249 lbs.) Suffice it to say, it was frustrating to see Wiley sidelined with a season-ending torn ACL in practice in early November.

Wiley will be returning from injury, but the Chiefs also brought back journeyman Robert Tonyan on Tuesday in free agency after first offering him the chance to join the team's practice squad last December. In addition, the Chiefs traded for Peyton Hendershot near the start of last season and he's back in the fold for another chance to compete as well.

And if that's not enough, longshots like Anthony Firkser and Baylor Cupp are also on the team's 90-man roster. (Our assumption is that Jody Fortson will not be returning in 2025.)

That's a lot for the Chiefs to sort out, but that's why there are so many points at which players get the chance to compete and impress. Chiefs trainers and coaches and scouts will get an up-close look at the lot and figure out a logical pecking order through offseasont training activities, mini-camp, and training camp—for those fortunate enough to last that long.