The Kansas City Chiefs have built themselves into one of the most recognizable franchises in all of sports. Their reign atop the AFC West and the conference as a whole has been impressive, yet their 2025 campaign is off to the worst start of the Patrick Mahomes era.

Dropping their first two games against playoff-worthy teams in the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles pushed them to 0-2 for the first time since 2014. They did bounce back in Week 3, but had a difficult opponent in the Baltimore Ravens on the horizon.

The Ravens game could be a massive victory for the Chiefs, as it would be their first win against playoff calibar teams in the 2025 season. One way that the Chiefs may want to approach this game is by accepting the way that veteran tight end Travis Kelce is playing and begin to pivot towards Noah Gray.

The Reasoning

Gray is an up-and-coming star for the Chiefs. Since getting drafted in the fifth round, Gray has made himself into one of the better backup tight ends in the National Football League. Improving in each season he has played thus far, now would be the perfect time to seamlessly switch Kelce for Gray.

So far this season, Kelce has been a part of plays that haven’t helped the Chiefs. The big one that stands out came against the Eagles in Week 2, where Mahomes threw the ball, but Kelce fumbled it right into the hands of an Eagles defender, killing momentum.

Starting to use Kelce less wouldn’t impact everything he’s done in his career, but moving forward, if he can’t play the way he once did, why not try out Gray in the largest role of his career while the season is still experimental?

The Protege

Kelce’s impact would still be felt by Chiefs fans, it would just come in the form of the player who has learned from him each step of the way in his professional career. Gray has the skills to be a successful tight end in the league, and the contract insurance for the Chiefs to take the chance at seeing if he can pick up the ball or not.