By: William Bruno
Not too long ago, if you were to listen to Mitch Holthus on The Kansas City Chiefs broadcast you would hear him yell “TOUCHDOWN, Kansas City Chiefs” which was quite often followed by, “TOUCHDOWN, Tony Gonzalez!!!” Since those days the Chiefs had tried to replace the talent that was lost at tight end, with no positive results. Could this be the turnaround season, to which the Chiefs find their next long-term tight end?
On the roster as of 6/30/14 the Chiefs have a total of five tight ends.
Richard Gordon – Gordon is a 3rd year player out of Miami. The Chiefs signed him last year after he was released by the Steelers. He played two years with the Raiders before being let loose by the Steelers. In his professional career so far, Gordon has appeared in 29 regular season games, registering 4 receptions for 14 yards with a touchdown. Even though Gordon has a very good drive, it seems his talent ceiling is not that high. For this reason I could see him being cut before the season starts. Although, the Chiefs may also add Gordon to the practice squad.
Demetrius Harris – Harris is beginning his second season with the Chiefs. He was signed as an undrafted free agent during last offseason. The interesting thing about Harris is how he didn’t play football. Harris played basketball at Milwaukee-Wisconsin. A very similar college background to the great Tony Gonzalez, Demetrius is 6’7 230lbs, according the KCChiefs.com. There is an opportunity with Harris but some part of me feels like Harris will take some more time to develop.
Sean McGrath – McGrath is coming into his second year with the Chiefs and his third year overall. He was signed as a free agent from Seattle. Last year, McGrath put up some pretty good numbers for a TE in his second year and first year with a new offense. He ended the season with 26 receptions for 309 yards and two touchdowns. McGrath is very talented and has a strong motor. He proved last season he can step in when needed and I think McGrath will be one of the tight ends to watch this next season.
Travis Kelce – Kelce is the Chiefs third round pick from the 2013 Draft. After taking an injury to his knee before the season began, Kelce was put on injured reserve and forced to sit out the entire season. His last season with the Cinci Wildcats, Kelce registered 45 receptions for 722 yards and 8 touchdowns. Travis Kelce has a very high ceiling for production and he might be the one Chiefs fans are raving about at the end of 2014-2015 season. It will take a lot of proving for Kelce to earn a spot knowing that McGrath and Fasano already have earned some dues.
Anthony Fasano – Fasano is an 8 year seasoned veteran who was drafted by Dallas and after spending two years with the Cowboys was traded to Miami where he spent 5 seasons. In his 8 year career Fasano has recorded 228 receptions for 2,573 yards and 27 touchdowns, according to pro-football-reference.com. The great thing about Fasano is the leadership he brings to a young group of tight ends, on the other hand, while his numbers look more intriguing than the others, they are mediocre at best.
The Chiefs definitely have the talent in the tight end position to create another star. Who do you think it will be?