Chiefs could have used this offseason to prep for the future at tight end

Tight end is not a position of great concern for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2025. If the front office is worried about it in 2026 and beyond, well, they're out of luck regardless.

When looking at the future of the tight end position, the Chiefs enjoy some measure of security knowing that Noah Gray is locked up through the 2026 season thanks to a savvy contract extension served up before the '24 campaign. Beyond that, however, is bit of a wild card depending on how optimistic (or not) general manager Brett Veach feels about the options.

The quandary for the Chiefs comes down to this: tight end is a complicated position in the NFL and it typically takes a prospect a solid year to feel comfortable in the role. That means giving a prospect the chance to learn alongside Travis Kelce would be appreciated. And yet that issue itself is complex.

It's entirely possible that this is Kelce's final season with the Chiefs (and in the NFL). if he retires, the ability to have the greatest to ever play the position mentor the next leader in the role is off the table. That's not to say Kelce can't come around, or that Tight End University will be cancelled, or even that Gray and company won't have something to teach the next generation. It's just that having Kelce in house in every meeting and for every practice is a definite bonus in terms of presence.

In an ideal world, the dominoes at tight end would have lined up differently for the Chiefs.

It's also true that the Chiefs decided to forgo any major investment at tight end this offseason. They signed a marginal free agent in Robert Tonyan and invited undrafted rookies to tag along (looking at you, Jake Briningstool and Tre Watson).

The only "draft prospect" on the roster is Jared Wiley, the Chiefs fourth-round selection from 2024. A former TCU star, Wiley missed the majority of his rookie season after suffering a torn ACL in practice. He was lost after seven games and remains limited as the team has gone through minicamps and OTAs.

The injury to Wiley delayed his first full healthy offseason to at least his third year in the NFL, and it's impossible to tell how he will look coming off of major injury. It's already one thing to be a prospect coming into the NFL at a difficult position to master, but to add the mental and physical toll of a major injury recovery to the mix is another layer of uncertainty.

Basically, the Chiefs might have something in Wiley, but no one in the front office is likely counting on it. Briningstool might also yield something, but again, the same variables apply. Kelce might decide to extend his playing career another year, and maybe Gray will earn a third contract. There's a lot up in the air.

However, in an ideal world, the Chiefs would have a solid first-year investment on the roster for Kelce to take under his wing. But the timing and overall roster plan didn't allow for such a scenario, which means tight end has more questions when looking at the bigger picture.