Noah Gray is next man up if Chiefs TE Travis Kelce can't play
The Kansas City Chiefs got some bad news toward the end of practice on Tuesday when star TE Travis Kelce hyperextended a knee during a red zone drill toward the end of practice. While Kelce has yet to be ruled out of Thursday's season opener against the Detroit Lions, the injury casts doubt on his status, […]
The Kansas City Chiefs got some bad news toward the end of practice on Tuesday when star TE Travis Kelce hyperextended a knee during a red zone drill toward the end of practice.
While Kelce has yet to be ruled out of Thursday's season opener against the Detroit Lions, the injury casts doubt on his status, even if it turns out to be minor in nature. A quick peek at the Chiefs depth chart will show that third-year TE Noah Gray would be the next man up if Kelce were unable to play on Thursday.
The former fifth-round draft pick in 2021 has been an understudy of Kelce for two seasons now. Chiefs TE coach Tom Melvin told reporters in August that he's seen Gray develop a great deal of confidence over his tenure in Kansas City.
“Well sure, every year you’re going to get a year better and he’s got a lot of playing time," Melvin said of Gray. "He’s done a great job because we move him around to all the different positions we have, as far as the formations are concerned and he’s able to handle all of those. (He’s a) really smart, instinctual kid and he’s gotten better at knowing what he’s doing and perfecting that, knowing what the defense is doing. Now in his third year, he’s starting to set things up and that’s the progression you look for. He’s doing a real good job in camp right now with that.”
That level of confidence might be at an all-time high as Gray's Duke Blue Devils upset the top-10 ranked Clemson Tigers on Monday night.
Gray has certainly grown as a receiver, as he caught 28 passes for nearly 300 yards and a touchdown a season ago. His best play came in Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans, where he caught a 27-yard grab from Patrick Mahomes to set up a game-winning field goal in overtime.
As prep continues for the Detroit Lions in Week 1, Gray is trying to stay within himself, focusing on the game plan and the work the entire tight end room has put in during practice.
"Yeah, we've just got to go out there and play the game plan our coaches have set forth for us," Gray said on Tuesday, via Arrowhead Pride's Pete Sweeney. "I think I've done a great job at practice this week and we've got a great tight end room. It's tough, we love (Travis) Kelce and we want him to be out there. He's been a great captain, a great leader for this team, a great mentor for me and the rest of the guys."
While Gray has a great deal of respect for Kelce, he also knows that he is his own player. Everything that Gray has learned from Kelce will help inform and elevate his game, but to try to be Kelce is a futile effort.
“I learned a lot from him,” Gray told reporters this summer. “I think he’s the greatest tight end to ever play the game. And he’s an excellent mentor. I mean, he’s an even better friend, too. So watching him out here [and] picking his brain is always good. But you know, Travis Kelce [is] Travis Kelce, for a reason. I’m just trying to do my job to the best of my ability and, you know, not try to do too much more than that.”
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Featured image via Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
