Noah Gray is on a Travis Kelce trajectory with his NFL stats and is perfectly placed to take over at Kansas City Chiefs
Gray has scored four touchdowns in his last two games
TRAVIS Kelce’s time with the Kansas City Chiefs could be coming to an end soon, but the team doesn’t have much to worry about.
Yes, Kelce is one of the greatest tight ends of all time, but the Chiefs already have a plan to replace him.
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Gray has more touchdowns that Travis Kelce this seasonCredit: Getty
Kelce is having a down year in 2024, but the second tight end on the Chiefs depth chart is pulling his weight to replace that lost production.
Noah Gray, a fourth-year tight end on the Chiefs, is setting career highs in every metric this year and proving he can be a valuable asset for the team in the future.
While he has been a silent killer behind Kelce for the past few years, he has broken out in a big way over the last two weeks, announcing himself to the NFL.
In the Chiefs’ win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, Gray caught four passes for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
In the previous week against the Buffalo Bills, Gray caught four passes again for 23 yards and two touchdowns.
Those two weeks helped bring Gray’s season totals up to 315 yards and four touchdowns, which is outpacing many of the weapons in the Chiefs offense.
It is also outpacing Kelce, who has two touchdowns compared to Gray’s four.
Kelce has more yards than Gray with 569, but he also has 40 more receptions than he does.
Without Kelce in the Chiefs offense, it feels likely that Gray would step up and take those targets, perhaps being even more efficient than Kelce was with them.
Gray is considered one of the most reliable players within the Chiefs offense, with offensive coordinator Matt Nagy calling him “Mr. Consistent.”
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“He’s been somebody that, since I got here, I’ve really taken on to what he’s done as far as the details, his practice habits, his in-game adjustments, his making plays when given a chance,” Nagy said.
“He’s Mr. Consistent, [and] I think it’s very valuable, and he’s probably one of the more underrated and under-appreciated guys from outside of this building when you look at what he does.”
Even Patrick Mahomes has shared high praise for his tight end, saying the 25-year-old has learned from Kelce.
“He does everything the right way,” Mahomes said.
“He’s learned a ton from Trav, and so he knows how to kind of work within the rules of the offense and get himself open.
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November 5 – Trade deadline
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“He’s just a guy that’s going to be in the right spot, so as a quarterback, you know if you’re going to give him the football, he’s going to make the play happen.
“He’s not going to talk a lot, he’s going to come to work, do his job, but at the same time, those are the guys you want on your team because you know that he’s going to do whatever it takes to win.”
Gray signed a contract extension before this season started, perhaps a signal that the Chiefs believe in him as Kelce’s successor.
He is under contract for an extra three years and $18 million, expiring after the 2027 season.
Kelce is only under contract through the end of next season.
Based on his performances and his contract, it seems clear that Gray is the next Travis Kelce for the Chiefs, and it will be interesting to see how he performs as the top tight end in the offense in a few years.
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Gray has scored two touchdowns in each of the last two weeks
