The Chiefs have opened it up against the Broncos, taking a 24-13 lead late in the third quarter. Tight end Noah Gray caught a 4-yard touchdown pass from Patrick Mahomes with 1:38 left in the third quarter. It completed an 11-play, 63-yard drive. Mahomes completed an 11-yard pass to Gray on third-and-6 and then completed a 12-yard pass to Cyrus Allen on third-and-12. The Chiefs have 16 plays for 78 yards in the second half. The Broncos have nine plays for 19 yards since halftime, with three three-and-outs. Mahomes is 22-of-31 for 254 yards and three touchdowns today. The Chiefs have ruled out defensive lineman Peter Woods with a neck injury
Only one team has gone longer since its last 1,000-yard receiver than the Kansas City Chiefs , who last had someone crack 1,000 yards when Travis Kelce got there in 2022. (The Packers haven’t gotten there since Davante Adams in 2021.) No team has gone longer since its last 1,000-yard rusher than the Chiefs, who last had someone pass the threshold when Kareem Hunt did it in 2017. (The Chargers and Saints also had their last 1,000-yard rusher in 2017.) The easy thing to say is that everything disintegrated for Kansas City last year, with the team going from three straight Super Bowl appearances to a 6-11 finish. And of course in a lot of ways that’s true. But also, the team hasn’t actually been an offensive dynamo for a few years now, and it’s been Patrick Mahomes and a very good defense that have carried the team. Now heading into 2026, the team has a flashy new running back, a wide receiver who is healty and eligible, and potential. But does that mean a rebound 2026? Kansas City’s top pass catchers are (in some order) a tight end who turns 37 in October, a wide receiver who it seems is one off-field misstep away from being out of football, and a former first-rounder who only scored one touchdown and 532 yards last year despite playing as the team’s borderline WR1 much of the year. After those three (Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and Xavier Worthy , in order), the next options are guys like Tyquan Thornton , fifth-round rookie Cyrus Allen, backup tight end Noah Gray and Jalen Royals. In short, this team is not flush with pass-catching options, and if Patrick Mahomes can return healthy, someone’s going to have to step up, especially if Kelce really is over the age cliff and/or Rice can’t get his head on right. Royals did essentially nothing as a fourth-round rookie last year, not even seeing a target until he had 2 receptions for 4 yards on 3 targets in Week 18. But he had 1,080 yards and a MWC-leading 15 touchdowns at Utah State in 2023, and he followed that up with 834 yards and 6 scores in seven games in 2024. He’s got the makeup to be a power slot, and if he can develop a la guys like Parker Washington or Jauan Jennings in recent years, it’ll happen this year. This is obviously just a deep-league play, but if you’re diving deep, a late-rounder on Jalen Royals isn’t a bad idea. Truth be told, I like Rice on the football field , and yes I needed that emphasis. I think there’s a very realistic world where he performs similarly to the back half of his rookie year, when he was the WR9 in PPR points per game from Week 12 to the end of the season. But that’s the kicker. The best stretch you can find for Rice is him averaging 86.3 yards per game down the stretch of 2023, putting up WR9 numbers … and yet he’s the WR11 in drafts this year? That’s just a wild overdraft for a guy whose realistic ceiling isn’t much above that. And all of that is even before we discuss the fact that his star quarterback tore his ACL late last year, and while reports on Patrick Mahomes’ recovery are good, you never know until you see him on the field. His backup is Justin Fields , and if you’re counting on Justin Fields to make your wide receiver productive, you might be in for a bad time. And all of that is even before we discuss anything about Rice’s off-the-field situations. As of right now, it definitely doesn’t look like Rice is in line for any further suspension based on his probation violation earlier this summer. But he’s run into enough issues so far in his career that pretty much anything that were to happen between now and the season could have him on the sidelines for who knows how long. Should you avoid drafting Rice altogether because of off-the-field concerns? No, probably not. But it’s just another point of concern on a guy with a lot of them who is still somehow being drafted as if he’s a top-12 fantasy wide receiver, and I just don’t see it. Betting against Patrick Mahomes feels like a fool’s errand, but the situation in Kansas City has th
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Three-time Super Bowl champion tight end Travis Kelce returns to the Kansas Chiefs in 2026 for his 14th and perhaps final NFL season. Kelce re-signed on a one-year, $12 million contract with two void years for salary cap purposes. The pact is structured for Kelce to decide whether to retire by June 2027, and after marrying Taylor Swift, he may look forward to more free time on his hands. Kelce doesn't have much left to prove. He ranks as the Chiefs' all-time receptions (1,080), receiving yards (13,002) and receiving touchdowns leader (82) while those same figures respectively have him ranked third, third and fifth all-time among all NFL tight ends. Receptions 1,080 1st 3rd Receiving yards 13,002 1st 3rd Receiving TD 82 1st 5th So what can we expect from a 37-year-old Kelce in 2026? The role is pretty clear, but the raw numbers are a little more murky. Kansas City will once again ask Kelce to be a focal point of their offense in his 14th season: he led the Chiefs in catches (76), receiving yards (851), while co-leading the team in receiving touchdowns (five). Since the Chiefs traded away All-Pro Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins in 2022, Kelce accounts for nearly a quarter of all of Kansas City's receiving at 22.7% (3,996), and Rice is second in that span at 10.2% (1,797). The 2010 All-Decade team tight end will continue to be heavily relied on in 2026. Travis Kelce 22.7% Rashee Rice 10.2% JuJu Smith-Schuster 8.6% Noah Gray 6.9% Xavier Worthy 6.6% * Kansas City traded Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins during the 2022 offseason It's unclear if Patrick Mahomes will be the one throwing the ball to Kelce all season. Mahomes tore both his ACL and LCL in his left knee on Dec. 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers , and a torn ACL injury typically involves a nine-month recovery on its own. It's unclear how the combination of the ACL and LCL tear will affect Mahomes' timetable. If he's unable to suit up for Week 1, the Chiefs have Justin Fields and 2026 seventh-round pick Garrett Nussmeier competing to be Mahomes' placeholder. Kelce made history with a team-leading 851 yards receiving in 2025 at the age of 36. He joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez as the only tight ends in NFL history with 800-plus receiving yards in a season at the age of 36-or-older. Gonzalez accomplished the feat as a 36-year-old (930 in 2012) and as a 37-year-old (859 in 2013) with the Atlanta Falcons . With how much of a target share he'll likely continue to possess in a Kansas City offense lacking in reliable playmakers at the wide receiver position, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and head coach Andy Reid will likely continue to feature him in Year 14. Expect Kelce to produce numbers similar to his 2025 output in 2026
The Chiefs have a new tight end on the roster. Wednesday's transaction report from the league shows that they have signed Mason Pline. The Chiefs had an open spot after trading tackle Wanya Morris to the Falcons, so they did not need to make any corresponding move. Pline tried out for the Chiefs at their minicamp this month. He signed with the 49ers after going undrafted in 2024 and spent the season on their practice squad. He moved on to the Saints as a waiver claim last August, but did not play in any games with New Orleans . Travis Kelce , Noah Gray , and Jared Wiley are the returning tight ends from the Chiefs' 2025 roster
The Chiefs have a new tight end on the roster. Wednesday’s transaction report from the league shows that they have signed Mason Pline. The Chiefs had an open spot after trading tackle Wanya Morris to the Falcons, so they did not need to make any corresponding move. Pline tried out for the Chiefs at their minicamp this month. He signed with the 49ers after going undrafted in 2024 and spent the season on their practice squad. He moved on to the Saints as a waiver claim last August, but did not play in any games with New Orleans. Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Jared Wiley are the returning tight ends from the Chiefs’ 2025 roster
Data comes from cached Sleeper and KTC snapshots. Values update when the sync jobs run.
