{"id":97669,"date":"2025-06-02T09:14:14","date_gmt":"2025-06-02T09:14:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/97669\/"},"modified":"2025-06-02T09:14:14","modified_gmt":"2025-06-02T09:14:14","slug":"chiefs-news-travis-kelce-slips-to-7th-in-list-of-nfls-best-tight-ends","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/97669\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs News: Travis Kelce slips to 7th in list of NFL\u2019s best tight ends"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  The latest<\/p>\n<p id=\"yaVZpV\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/news\/biggest-remaining-needs-for-nfl-contenders-ahead-of-post-june-1-cuts-chiefs-ravens-could-target-ol-help\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Biggest remaining needs for NFL contenders ahead of post-June 1 cuts: Chiefs, Ravens could target OL help | CBS Sports<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"a4WiYK\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/teams\/KC\/kansas-city-chiefs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>: OL<\/p>\n<p id=\"ZgNibS\">They didn\u2019t ignore the front after getting torched in <a href=\"https:\/\/cbssports.com\/nfl\/superbowl\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Super Bowl<\/a> LIX, retaining <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/players\/2780917\/trey-smith\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Trey Smith<\/a>, signing <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/players\/2252420\/jaylon-moore\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaylon Moore<\/a> and drafting <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbssports.com\/nfl\/players\/26734216\/josh-simmons\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Simmons<\/a> early. The question is, are they actually any better in the trenches? The tackles, in particular, are projections.<\/p>\n<p id=\"d6OYyB\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/stories\/nfl\/which-nfl-qbs-get-most-help-ranking-all-32-supporting-casts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Which QBs have the most help? Ranking all 32 NFL supporting casts | FOX Sports<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"TQcKye\">10. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/kansas-city-chiefs-team\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"AJWc20\">I\u2019d just like to point out that the trio of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/marquise-brown-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Hollywood Brown<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/rashee-rice-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Rashee Rice<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/xavier-worthy-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Xavier Worthy<\/a> have yet to play a single game together. As excited as we were for their new look receiver group in 2024, Brown went down during the preseason and Rice was lost for the year in September, and the Chiefs still made it to the Super Bowl. If all three of those guys are healthy and ready to roll, along with a healthier <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/isaih-pacheco-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Isiah Pacheco<\/a>, I think it makes a world of difference. Losing Joe Thuney hurts, but between the additions of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/jaylon-moore-2-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaylon Moore<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxsports.com\/nfl\/josh-simmons-player\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Simmons<\/a>, I\u2019m trusting that the Chiefs can get good enough left tackle play to mitigate his absence. Oh, and did I mention that Andy Reid is still designing and calling the plays? Don\u2019t let last season\u2019s slog color your perception of these guys too much. If their receivers are available, this could be the most explosive Chiefs offense we\u2019ve seen since Tyreek Hill was traded.<\/p>\n<p id=\"Dg7k1F\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bleacherreport.com\/articles\/25198854-every-nfl-teams-worst-trade-last-10-years\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Every NFL Team\u2019s Worst Trade of the Last 10 Years | Bleacher Report<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/title\">Kansas City Chiefs Trade for Frank Clark<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/0\">The Year: 2019<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/1\">The Kansas City Chiefs haven\u2019t made many mistakes during the Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes era. Since the latter took over as the full-time starter in 2018, Kansas City has at least reached the AFC Championship Game every year.<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/2\">However, Kansas City\u2019s 2019 trade for pass-rusher Frank Clark was a bit of a miss.<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/3\">Clark was coming off of a 13-sack season with the Seattle Seahawks and had just been given the franchise tag. The Chiefs had a Pro Bowl pass-rusher in Dee Ford but traded him, then decided to trade a 2019 first-round pick and a 2020 conditional second-rounder for Clark\u2014the Chiefs and Seahawks also swapped 2019 third-round selections.<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/4\">That was a pretty significant price for a good-not-great pass-rusher, especially considering the trade didn\u2019t come with any long-term team control. Kansas City then had to sign him to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.spotrac.com\/nfl\/player\/_\/id\/16787\/frank-clark\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">five-year, $104 million<\/a> extension to make it more than a short-term commitment.<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/5\">Unfortunately, the Chiefs never got a great return on investment. Clark made three Pro Bowls and was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, but his production never matched what the Chiefs paid to get and keep him. He only stuck in Kansas City for four seasons and averaged less than six sacks per year with the franchise.<\/p>\n<p id=\"id\/article\/slide\/5198946\/element\/6\">This wasn\u2019t a disaster of a deal. In retrospect, though, passing on 2019 prospects like Byron Murphy, Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown to acquire Clark may have been a mistake.<\/p>\n<p id=\"hidZg8\"><a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641759&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fnfl-tight-end-rankings-top-32-ahead-of-2025-nfl-season&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2025%2F5%2F30%2F24439450%2Farrowheadlines-travis-kelce-slips-to-7th-in-list-of-nfls-best-tight-ends\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">PFF Tight End Rankings: Top 32 ahead of the 2025 NFL season | PFF<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"QA8v4V\">7. <a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641759&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnfl%2Fplayers%2Ftravis-kelce%2F7844&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2025%2F5%2F30%2F24439450%2Farrowheadlines-travis-kelce-slips-to-7th-in-list-of-nfls-best-tight-ends\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">Travis Kelce<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641759&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnfl%2Fteams%2Fkansas-city-chiefs%2F16&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2025%2F5%2F30%2F24439450%2Farrowheadlines-travis-kelce-slips-to-7th-in-list-of-nfls-best-tight-ends\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"2KEqeG\">While Kelce has been the second-most-valuable tight end over the past two seasons, per <a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641759&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fwar&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.arrowheadpride.com%2F2025%2F5%2F30%2F24439450%2Farrowheadlines-travis-kelce-slips-to-7th-in-list-of-nfls-best-tight-ends\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">PFF WAR<\/a>, 2024 represented the lowest-graded season of his career (71.7). Age looks to be catching up to the future Hall of Famer, as his 91.4 PFF overall grade from 2022 appears to be a thing of the past.<\/p>\n<p id=\"QpOxHW\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/6388467\/2025\/05\/29\/nfl-offseason-draft-free-agency-2025\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sando: My favorite offseason move by every NFL team | The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"lPVkTq\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/athletic\/nfl\/team\/chiefs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"9q8swp\">I\u2019m betting on defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo maximizing the top two cornerbacks Kansas City added: veteran Kristian Fulton, who played well for the Chargers last season, and third-round pick Nohl Williams, who can play nickel and safety. Both project as physical pieces for Spagnuolo to utilize. They are surer bets than the players Kansas City added to address its issues at left tackle.<\/p>\n<p id=\"GDFDtk\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/news\/biggest-remaining-offseason-priority-for-each-afc-team-qb1-for-browns-colts-steelers\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Biggest remaining offseason priority for each AFC team: QB1 for Browns, Colts, Steelers? | NFL.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"mAkeY7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/teams\/kansas-city-chiefs\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"aXdBbG\">Top priority: Determine the left side of the offensive line.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7HSRii\">Lose a Super Bowl, revamp the O-line. It\u2019s GM Brett Veach\u2019s MO. After trading <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/players\/joseph-michael-thuney\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Joe Thuney<\/a>, the Chiefs signed <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/players\/jaylon-moore-2\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jaylon Moore<\/a>, a former swing tackle in San Francisco with 793 career snaps, per Next Gen Stats. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/players\/kingsley-suamataia\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Kingsley Suamataia<\/a>, a 2024 second-rounder who struggled at tackle last year, moves to left guard to battle former undrafted free agent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/players\/mike-caliendo\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Mike Caliendo<\/a>. Then there is 2025 first-rounder <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/prospects\/josh-simmons\/32005349-4d24-8456-5aa5-20aab1d301b0\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Josh Simmons<\/a>, who could usurp Moore for the starting left tackle role if healthy in his return from a torn patellar tendon. In an ideal world, Simmons is ready to go and Suamataia seamlessly moves inside to replace Thuney, one of the best guards of his generation. Regardless of how things shake out, the Chiefs are poised to be young on the left side of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfl.com\/players\/patrick-mahomes\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Patrick Mahomes<\/a>\u2019 offensive line.<\/p>\n<p>Around the NFL<\/p>\n<p id=\"QcqbMJ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/45363591\/caleb-williams-addresses-book-excerpt-says-wanted-bear\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Caleb Williams addresses book excerpt, says he loves being a Bear | ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"6feutS\">Following Chicago\u2019s second OTA practice that was open to the media, Williams delivered a three-minute, 55-second opening statement that addressed his feelings about the Bears related to the predraft process.<\/p>\n<p id=\"SqDyiG\">Excerpts from author Seth Wickersham\u2019s upcoming book, \u201cAmerican Kings: A Biography of the Quarterback,\u201d revealed that Williams and his father, Carl, had considered ways for the former Heisman Trophy winner to avoid being drafted by the Bears.<\/p>\n<p id=\"LRxknU\">Williams said that the book\u2019s excerpts have been a \u201cdistraction\u201d over the past two weeks, so he wanted to address it publicly for the first time.<\/p>\n<p id=\"4z5iZP\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/45378887\/i-great-qb-justin-fields-says-fresh-start-jets\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">\u2018I can be great,\u2019 QB Justin Fields says of fresh start with Jets | ESPN<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"ugIqtQ\">\u201cI think I can be great,\u201d Fields said Thursday after the Jets\u2019 fifth OTA practice. \u201cThat\u2019s been the goal for me my whole life, my whole career. I think the sky\u2019s the limit for this team, for this offense, but we do have a long way to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"k9Lqhr\">Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million contract in March, is on his third team, playing for his fourth offensive coordinator in five years. His new playcaller is first-year coordinator Tanner Engstrand, most recently the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/team\/_\/name\/det\/detroit-lions\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Detroit Lions<\/a>\u2019 passing-game coordinator. The Jets\u2019 new scheme will have a Detroit flavor, so Fields is spending a lot of time \u2014 with the coaches and on his own \u2014 studying Lions tape.<\/p>\n<p id=\"eXir0z\">\u201cHe\u2019s obviously a physically talented player,\u201d Engstrand said, speaking to the local media for the first time. \u201cEverybody talks about the running \u2014 well, the guy\u2019s got an arm, too, and he does a great job with that.<\/p>\n<p>In case you missed it on Arrowhead Pride<\/p>\n<p id=\"QN5zwH\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrowheadpride.com\/2025\/5\/29\/24439593\/patrick-mahomes-thinks-rashee-rice-already-looks-like-he-did-pre-injury\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Chiefs News: Rashee Rice has no limitations at team OTAs<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"7cjpB4\">\u201cHe\u2019s actually one of the guys under the weather,\u201d said Reid. \u201cSo we\u2019ve kept him at home here. But in Phase 2, he was great. He just wasn\u2019t able to go this week, so we kept him out, away from the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"g2Uq7D\">Quarterback Patrick Mahomes took it a step further, describing that Rice has looked like himself as he returns <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arrowheadpride.com\/2024\/10\/14\/24270084\/chiefs-injuries-andy-reid-final-word-rashee-rice-injury-timeline\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">following the devastating knee injury he sustained in Week 4 of the 2024 season<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"7JHahV\">\u201cHe looks like Rashee,\u201d said Mahomes. \u201cHaving the injury, it sucked, but happening so early in the season, he was back like right when the offseason started. And so he was up here working hard \u2014 extremely hard \u2014 and he was back home working extremely hard. I was throwing with him in Dallas a little bit, and then getting him back out here, and there\u2019s no limitations.<\/p>\n<p id=\"j6yUIe\">\u201cHe\u2019s out there playing, he\u2019s making plays on the football field. He\u2019s explosive; he looks fast. You saw the start of last season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"6KrHsp\">In just three games last season, Rice caught 24 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. Though that is admittedly a small sample size, it makes for an average of 96 yards per game.<\/p>\n<p id=\"BllOOq\">\u201cI think he can be one of the best receivers in the league,\u201d added Mahomes. \u201cAnd so just to have him with Xavier [Worthy], Hollywood [Brown] and all these other guys that we have, it\u2019s another position I think (general manager) [Brett] Veach has done a great job of bringing in competition, so that we can go out there and make a lot of plays.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Social media to make you think<\/p>\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">1:00 of <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Chiefs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">#Chiefs<\/a> OTAs &#8230; new Chiefs QB Gardner Minshew, DL Jerry Tillery, Chris Jones is present with most of the DLs. FAU in his new #91 along with Jared Wiley (who has not returned and still has leg sleeve on) &#8211; and Steve Spagnuolo spending quality time with Chamarri Conner. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/u4lk2qao8H\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/u4lk2qao8H<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HaroldRKuntz3\/status\/1928134313670840624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">May 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Follow Arrowhead Pride on Social Media<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The latest Biggest remaining needs for NFL contenders ahead of post-June 1 cuts: Chiefs, Ravens could target OL&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":97670,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[2063],"tags":[921,6190,1873,3663,346,2731,7,29,723,118,110,922,2438,2437,2016,2762,88,6,152,151,396,25478,1398,2472,528,2015],"class_list":{"0":"post-97669","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-kansas-city-chiefs","8":"tag-arrowhead","9":"tag-arrowheadlines","10":"tag-best","11":"tag-category-daily-links","12":"tag-chiefs","13":"tag-ends","14":"tag-football","15":"tag-front-page","16":"tag-in","17":"tag-kansas-city","18":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs","19":"tag-kansas-city-chiefs-news","20":"tag-kansascity","21":"tag-kansascitychiefs","22":"tag-kelce","23":"tag-list","24":"tag-news","25":"tag-nfl","26":"tag-of","27":"tag-pride","28":"tag-s","29":"tag-slips","30":"tag-th","31":"tag-tight","32":"tag-to","33":"tag-travis"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97669","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=97669"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/97669\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/97670"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=97669"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=97669"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=97669"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}