Travis Kelce out vs. Lions: Chiefs' Noah Gray among players who will need to step up with star TE sidelined

A look at the tight ends behind Kelce on K.C.'s depth chart

The Chiefs will be without one of their top players for Thursday's 2023 NFL season opener against the Detroit Lions, with tight end Travis Kelce missing the game with a bone bruise. His absence leads to the question: Who is Kelce's backup at tight end?

That would be Noah Gray, a third-year veteran out of Duke. Originally a fifth-round draft pick in 2021, Gray has appeared in all but one game for the Chiefs in two NFL seasons, logging eight starts in 2022 while playing alongside Kelce.

In the Chiefs' offense, it's much likelier that wide receivers will pick up the slack in the passing game with Kelce out. Kansas City has a particularly deep room there, with young targets like Skyy Moore, Justin Watson and Justyn Ross expected to see expanded roles behind veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling and 2022 trade acquisition Kadarius Toney. Third-down running back Jerick McKinnon is another favorite outlet for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

But Gray isn't totally inexperienced, either. He hauled in 28 of 34 targets (82%) for 299 yards and a touchdown in 2022.

Behind Gray, the Chiefs also have ninth-year veteran Blake Bell at the TE position. A fourth-round pick of the 49ers back in 2015, he's on his second stint with Kansas City, though his role in the passing game has been more limited. In three different seasons with the Chiefs, the ex-Cowboys backup has totaled 19 catches for 174 yards and one score.

Beyond the two TEs on the active roster, the Chiefs also have Matt Bushman and Gerrit Prince on the practice squad. They elevated Bushman, a 2021 undrafted free agent, to the active roster prior to Thursday's game.