The IMPACT of Travis Kelce

The IMPACT of Travis Kelce – It was great to see the Kansas City Chiefs premier tight end, Travis Kelce, running routes at their training camp in St. Joseph yesterday. Great might not be the right word. Relief might hit closer to home. In fact, huge relief is more like it. One thing is clear, it’s hard to measure the impact of Travis Kelce on the Chiefs offense. Especially as they ready themselves for a Super Bowl run.

Before we get too far down the line talking about Kelce, I’d like to say that this team appears to use the words “Super Bowl” like, red and gold, because it’s everywhere all the time. Some may think that’s a bit presumptuous but it would seem a little sad if they didn’t, especially when you consider they were a forehead away from playing for the Lombardi. Anyway, it’s a huge plus to me and I’m enjoying that kind of expectation dripping from their lips, or at least their twitter feeds, every day.

It’s hard to believe this is Travis Kelce’s 7th season coming up and only his 6th when you consider he had to sit out his first year with an injury. In Kelce’s 5 active seasons he’s averaged 1,047 receiving yards per year and 12.4 yards per reception. Since he has a 70% receptions rate when targeted, you could throw the ball his way every single down and you’d always have a first down. Of course, you’d never do that but the point is, Travis Kelce has been the definition of consistency in his career and has only missed one game in five years, and that’s because he sat out the last game of 2017, like a lot of other starters, in preparation for the playoffs.

TE Rob Gronkowski has averaged 921 receiving yards over the past 5 years and missed 15 games during that span, or the equivalent of about one whole season. The debate as to who has been the best tight end in the NFL has been a strange debate to me because Kelce’s durability and dependability… as well as his numbers… have made him someone who stands out above all of the other tight ends, for years now. I appreciate Steve Palazzolo’s take on this issue (from 2014):

Travis Kelce will be 30 years old this coming October 5, and the Chiefs will be needing him as much as any player on their roster, yes, including Patrick Mahomes. If Kelce is unable to play — for some unheard of reason — it would change the offense dramatically and make it two-dimensional and consequently, much easier to stop.

Travis Kelce does so many things well for the Chiefs. Like blocking. One of my favorite plays from a couple of years ago, was of him leading Tyreek Hill around left end for a TD:

Of course, any time a Chiefs player lays out a Broncos player, is a good day in fountain town. Here’s a Kelce push-block to the inside helping free up De’Anthony Thomas for a TD around the left end:

Here’s a block by Kelce that is an even “favoriter” block than the one previously listed:

I’ve always wondered, when you get blown up on a block like that, how do you even go back to the defensive huddle… I mean… what are the other defenders saying to you? Anyway, Travis Kelce is a stud-muffin!

Travis Kelce has become a team leader. That wasn’t always the case but his passion for the game has often spilled over the boundaries of acceptable behaviour on the field. I’ll never forget the time he threw the towel, he had tucked into his pants, at an official:

Now, we just get TK’s full passion directed through his play onto the field… and that’s saying a ton. Kelce finds other ways to inspire and entertain his teammates… like the potato sack race following one of his TD catches:

Now, that kind of exuberance for the game is garnering positive national attention:

Travis Kelce signed a contract with the Chiefs in 2016, which locked him up for the next 6 seasons after that, basically giving the Chiefs the best deal for the best tight end in the league. From overthecap.com:

“Travis Kelce signed a five year contract extension with the Chiefs on January 26, 2016. The contract is worth $46.8 million with $20 million guaranteed, $10.517 million of which is guaranteed at signing. The guarantee consists of Kelce’s 2016 base salary and a $9.842 million. Kelce’s 2017 and 2018 salaries are guaranteed for injury and become fully guaranteed on the 3rd day of that respective League Year. The contract contains yearly per game roster bonuses.”

TK’s 2019 base salary escalated by $375,000 when he reached 1,200 receiving yards in 2018. Although Kelce’s cap number is $10.7M this year, it goes down the next two seasons.

Kelce set a record for the most receiving yards in a season by a tight end on the last day of the season at 1,336 yards, then his record was broken later that day by the 49ers George Kittle at 1,377. Another year with Patrick Mahomes and it won’t surprise me at all if Kelce breaks that record handily in 2019.

Travis Kelce has become a highlight reel every time he catches the ball.

Kelce doesn’t just catch the ball, he delivers yardage after the catch as well. He’s also a first-down machine:

He may not be able to throw the ball out of the stadium, like our favorite QB, but Travis Kelce has also proven he can throw the ball into the stands with the best of them:

Travis Kelce is Patrick Mahomes most reliable target. Well, maybe second, as Tyreek Hill has a 71.7% reception rate (targets to receptions) but when Patrick Mahomes needs to hit a target over the middle of the field, no one provides, as big a target and as sure a pair of hands, as does Travis Kelce.

Many, including me, have been calling for the Chiefs to draft or sign another highly effective tight end so they can run their two-tight-end sets. However, when you have the best tight end in  the game, it makes that approach less of a need and more of a luxury. Now, the Chiefs just need to decide who will be a suitable backup, one who can perform better than Demetrius Harris, which, should not be hard. Andy Reid said just yesterday that, “This is as deep a group [of tight ends] as we’ve had since I’ve been here.” Those who may be worrying about that position may want to take note.

Other crowds in other stadiums, may have a way for their players to “leap” into their stands, but the Chiefs have the best “leaper” of all… one who scores when he leaps. Now that has a much bigger impact.

On Wednesday, Travis Kelce could be seen sharing his knowledge with fellow TE Deon Yelder. He’s someone who “gets it” when it comes to making the team better by nurturing others. Now that has an even bigger impact.

Laddi Morse — ArrowheadOne

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