National Football League

Why has Travis Kelce had such a small role in Chiefs' offense?

Updated Sep. 19, 2024 1:17 p.m. ET

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Henry McKenna

NFL Reporter

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are an inseparable duo. They're the picture of on-field chemistry. Or — they were.

So far this season, the two Kansas City Chiefs stars haven't been in sync. 

In two games, Kelce has just seven targets for four catches and 39 yards. No touchdowns. That's a bizarre stat line for one of the greatest pass-catchers in NFL history — who, by the way, had 11 catches for 90 yards and two touchdowns in his first two games last season. (He sat out of Week 1 in 2023 due to a knee injury.)

This year, the Chiefs are undefeated, with a pair of nail-biters to open the season. And given all their recent Super Bowl wins despite mixed success in the regular season, there's always the sense that they'll be fine so long as Kelce and Mahomes are running the show. 

But Kelce is currently an afterthought, leaving Mahomes sort of on his own. 

And it's not totally clear why.

"He'll get his catches," coach Andy Reid said Monday about Kelce. "It's not that he's slowing down or any of that bit. That's not what the deal is. It's just teams focus on him and kind of know he's been Pat's go-to guy. What it's done, though, is that it's allowed us to utilize the other guys around him, and they've been productive."

It's not just the lack of production from Kelce individually. That is easily explainable: They're saving the veteran tight end, who turns 35 in October, for the end of the season.

The weird thing is that it's not just that he's lacking production. It's that his spotty presence has led to issues.

The offensive team EPA/play when Mahomes targets is Kelce is an atrocious -.42, 73rd among tight ends. In 2022, that number was .37, which was second among tight ends, just behind George Kittle. And in 2023, it was .39, the highest among all tight ends. From 2014 to 2024, it was .42, a remarkable EPA/play. 

That helps highlight just how putrid Kelce's numbers look for 2024.

Now, we're obviously using a tiny sample size, but the film confirms that something isn't clicking with Kelce.

Two of Mahomes' three interceptions have come with Kelce as the primary read. On both throws, Mahomes looked hesitant to throw to Kelce — which proved costly for what should've been anticipation throws for chunk plays. Instead, they were turnovers.

On Mahomes' lone interception against the Ravens in Week 1, he hesitated on a pass to an open Kelce before bailing and throwing to Rashee Rice while getting hit. The ball went right to Baltimore linebacker Roquan Smith. 

"I probably should've just thrown it to Trav. I tried to get a little greedy and get back to Rashee and he was open," Mahomes said after Week 1. "Just the way that I awkwardly was trying to throw the football, I couldn't get what I wanted to."

On Mahomes' first interception against the Bengals in Week 2, Kelce drifted into a soft spot in the zone. Mahomes stared him down and threw the ball late. And it was an easy takeaway for the Cincinnati defense. Reid said that Kelce was running an option route, which led to a miscommunication between QB and TE.

"There was a little confusion between the two of them and we were late with the ball, so that's what happened," Reid said. "We'll take care of that. I can take care of that part."

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The Chiefs haven't exactly made the biggest effort to get Kelce involved. He isn't often the primary read on plays — and, as we've seen with the hesitations that led to interceptions, those plays aren't exactly driving the offense in the right direction. 

As Reid said, it doesn't look like Kelce has lost a step. Instead, it looks like Kansas City is probably using him as a decoy. He's often found on the opposite side of where the ball is supposed to go. A deep ball? Find him running a drag. Jet sweep right? Find him near the left hashmark.

Mahomes has said Kelce is facing a lot of double teams. And that's sometimes true. But, from what I've observed on film, he's really only getting doubled a few times a game.

"If you look at the first touchdown [against Cincinnati], I'm actually looking at Trav and the backside safety goes all the way across the field to help guard Travis, and then you throw the ball down the sideline to Rashee," Mahomes said. "That's kind of what [defenses have] been doing."

Mahomes then added: "As the season goes on, he's going to get his catches. He's going to get his yards." 

That's roughly the same message as Reid's: Just be patient. Kelce will get more involved — but maybe not right away.

Since 2018, Kelce has played more snaps (6,523) than any other skill player in the NFL (including playoffs). He spoke openly during training camp about how the last six seasons have taken a toll on his body. And during camp, his workload was extremely light. It seemed like most days were veteran rest days for Kelce.

But Mahomes and Reid are avoiding the elephant in the room, which is that Kelce's presence has disrupted the efficiency of the unit. This half-in, half-out usage is leading to hesitancy and turnovers from Mahomes.

Maybe the Chiefs don't care. They're 2-0, after all. Maybe they think they can get through this rough patch and turn things on late in the season. Because that's what they always seem to do. But for now, it's not working. And I wonder if their weird usage — or lack thereof — of their best playmaker might start catching up with them.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as an NFL reporter and columnist, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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Henry McKenna