Ranking the AFC West tight ends from worst to best in 2023
By Jason Reed
1. Kansas City Chiefs
- Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Blake Bell, Jody Fortson
Of course the Kansas City Chiefs are going to rank first at the tight-end position as they have one of the greatest tight ends of all time, Travis Kelce. It is an unpopular opinion for Chargers fans but when Kelce is done playing, there is a very real chance that he will go down as the greatest tight end in NFL history.
Helping his cause is the fact that he does not appear to be slowing down production-wise for the Chiefs. It seemed for a brief moment that Kelce would start to regress over the last two years but that has not been the case at all. He has been more important than ever for the Chiefs.
It isn't like Kelce is leading a barren tight-end room, either. The Chiefs have legitimate talent behind Kelce and utilize their tight ends extensively in the team's Super Bowl run. Noah Gray and Blake Bell are a fantastic 1-2 punch as the team's backup tight ends.
Is there a world in which Kelce regresses in 2023? Sure. He is going to turn 34 years old in October and in NFL years that is like 44, especially at a position that takes so much punishment. But until fans see it for themselves, there is no way to bank on it.
If it does happen then the Chiefs are in trouble as the wide receiver room is weak and there is only so much Patrick Mahomes can do. Outside of Mahomes, Kelce is the most important player on the Chiefs and is arguably the most important non-quarterback offensive player in the entire league.