The Kansas City Chiefs will take seven tight ends to training camp, but recent roster history suggests there will not be room for all of them when final cuts arrive.
With the Chiefs preparing to report to Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri, senior team reporter Matt McMullen broke down every tight end currently on the roster. The group includes future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce, veteran Noah Gray and five players fighting to establish larger roles.
Kansas City has kept exactly four tight ends on its Week 1 roster in each of the last two seasons. If that pattern continues, the Chiefs could eventually have to cut three players from the position.
Kelce, Gray and former fourth-round pick Jared Wiley have made the initial roster in each of the last two years. That leaves Jake Briningstool, John Michael Gyllenborg, Mason Pline and Tre Watson potentially competing for one remaining spot.
Travis Kelce Returns for a 14th Season With the Chiefs
There is no uncertainty surrounding Kelce’s place on the roster.
The 36-year-old caught 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns in 2025, finishing fourth among NFL tight ends in receiving yards. He will now return for his 14th season with Kansas City.
Kelce also earned a spot on the “NFL Top 100” list for the 11th consecutive season, landing at No. 79 in the player-voted rankings.
His career numbers continue to place him among the most productive pass-catchers in league history. Kelce owns the NFL record for consecutive seasons with at least 80 catches after reaching that mark every year from 2016 through 2024.
His streak of 12 straight seasons with at least 800 receiving yards is tied with Jerry Rice for the longest in NFL history.
Kelce has also delivered some of his biggest performances in the postseason. His 178 playoff catches are the most by any player in NFL history, while his 2,078 postseason receiving yards and 20 touchdown catches both rank second behind Rice.
Noah Gray and Jared Wiley Look to Secure Their Places Again
Gray also enters training camp with extensive experience in the Chiefs’ offense.
The 27-year-old caught 21 passes for 178 yards in 2025, after posting career highs across the board the year before. Gray finished the 2024 season with 40 catches for 437 yards and five touchdowns.
He also continues to provide value beyond the offense. Gray led all Chiefs offensive players with 125 special teams snaps last season.
Wiley has dealt with a much different start to his NFL career.
The Chiefs selected the former TCU tight end in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but a torn ACL ended his rookie season and delayed his 2025 return. He has appeared in only 12 games over two seasons, including five last year.
Now healthy, Wiley will have another opportunity to show the potential that made him one of the top tight end prospects in his draft class. During his final season at TCU, he led all FBS tight ends with eight touchdown catches.
Jake Briningstool Gets Another Chance After Lost Season
Briningstool could become one of the most interesting players to watch when training camp begins.
The former Clemson standout joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2025 and impressed during the offseason program. However, a hamstring injury ended his season before he could make his NFL debut.
Briningstool entered the league with an accomplished college resume. He caught 99 passes for 1,028 yards and 12 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Clemson, frequently lining up in the slot.
His 127 career receptions also set a Clemson record for a tight end.
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler ranked Briningstool as the No. 10 tight end in the 2025 draft class and projected him as a fifth-round selection. After losing his first professional season to injury, he will now get another chance to compete for a roster spot.
Three More Tight Ends Are Fighting to Survive Chiefs Cuts
Gyllenborg will enter camp as one of the Chiefs’ newest players.
The Leawood, Kansas, native attended Rockhurst High School before playing at Wyoming, where he caught 80 passes for 1,023 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 6-foot-5, 250-pound rookie also posted the third-best broad jump among tight ends at the NFL Scouting Combine at 10 feet, 8 inches.
Pline joined the Chiefs in June after earning a contract through a successful tryout at mandatory minicamp. The 6-foot-6, 254-pound tight end originally played college basketball at Ferris State before switching to football.
He entered the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and later spent time with the New Orleans Saints.
Watson rounds out the seven-man group. The 6-foot-4, 247-pound tight end spent the entire 2025 season on Kansas City’s practice squad after playing collegiately at Fresno State and Texas A&M.
The Chiefs kept Kelce, Gray, Wiley and Robert Tonyan on their initial roster last season. Tonyan is no longer with the team, potentially creating an opening for Briningstool, Gyllenborg, Pline or Watson.
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