Kansas City Chiefs: What Can We Expect From Travis Kelce?

The Kansas City Chiefs know a few things about what a great tight end looks like.

The team had one of the greatest tight ends of all-time in Tony Gonzalez for 12 seasons and he became the franchise leader in receptions and touchdowns for any position. Not to mention the numerous NFL records he holds including the most seasons with over 70 catches (14).

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Ever since Gonzalez was traded by the Chiefs to the Falcons the Falcons have been looking for an adequate replacement and have struggled to do so. Tony Moeaki showed flashes in his first two seasons with the team but never made the leap. Anthony Fasano and Kevin Boss were both brought in at different times but again neither were capable of filling in Gonzalez’s prolific shoes.

The Chiefs seem to have finally found a player that can even dream of coming close to Tony Gonzalez’s production levels in Travis Kelce. The former Cincinnati Bearcat was chosen in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft but a lingering knee injury suffered in training camp kept him off the field for his entire rookie season. Andy Reid obviously saw tremendous potential in Kelce who possesses prototypical size at 6’6″ and speed as he ran a 4.61 at the combine.

The 2014 season was basically Kelce’s rookie year as it was his first season seeing any real game action. The Chiefs were very cautious with Kelce and according to Rotoworld.com they only used him on 66 percent of offensive snaps last year. Despite that relatively low usage amount, Kelce put up tremendous numbers and established himself as one of the better tight ends in the league.

Nov 2, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

In 16 games, Kelce had 67 catches for 862 yards and five touchdowns, enough to become the Chiefs leading receiver on the year. He had two breakout games including an eight-catch, 93-yar performance in the blowout of the New England Patriots at Arrowhead Stadium. Kelce also topped the 100-yard mark with 110 yards on seven catches against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 14. If fans around the NFL did not know who Kelce was before last year they certainly know now.

So what can we expect from Kelce now that the Chiefs will finally take off the kid gloves? It is hard to imagine him topping his numbers last season but all signs point to him improving. He is extremely talented and is similar physically to Rob Gronkowski so there is no reason to believe he can’t make the leap to Gronk-like production if the Chiefs make him a focal point of the offense.

The Chiefs swapped Dwayne Bowe for the dynamic and speedy Jeremy Maclin who is excellent at taking the top off of defenses. The arrival of Maclin may negatively impact Kelce’s numbers because he would draw so many more targets from Alex Smith but he will also draw attention from the middle of the field.

If Kansas City also opts to draft a big time receiver in the first round then that will also open up the middle of the field for the dynamic Kelce. Last season there were several games where Kelce was essentially phased out of the offense because defenses only had to focus on him and Jamaal Charles. With one more season under the innovative Andy Reid and with more weapons for defense to focus on, we can safely expect Kelce to have yet another breakout year and earn a Pro Bowl nod.

In fairness he should have been selected ahead of Julius Thomas as he nearly doubled his yardage total but Thomas’s 12 touchdowns may have been the difference. The Kansas City Chiefs have a gem in Travis Kelce and he will pay dividends in that offense if he can stay healthy while handling a bigger offensive load.

Next: 2015 NFL Mock Draft: Kansas City Chiefs Take OT La’el Collins

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