The Rise of Travis Kelce and His Outlook Going Forward

Like Anakin Skywalker becoming aware of his affinity for the Force, the Kansas City Chiefs seem to be coming around on emergent tight end Travis Kelce.

Some have touted the second-year pro as the future at the position in Kansas City, and the past couple of weeks have stoked the flames of those hype fires started during the offseason.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) currently rates Kelce as the fifth-best tight end in the league. Granted, plenty goes into those ratings, but Kelce being ranked so highly despite his limited snap count in the first three weeks speaks to his talent.

Kansas City's coaching staff is trusting Kelce in increasing fashion, as evidenced by his increased presence on the field:

Week	Opp	Snaps	Snap %	Rec	Tgt	Yds	Y/R	TD
1	TEN	19	32.8	3	5	49	16.3	0
2	DEN	32	37.2	4	6	81	20.3	0
3	MIA	47	65.3	3	4	36	12.0	1

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid admitted Kelce had been underutilized after that paltry Week 1 snap count:

Reid has made good on his word over the past couple of weeks, and his touchdown in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins is a good example why.

NFL Game Rewind

You might ask yourself how the Dolphins gave up a touchdown on a one-yard drag route with no less than four guys in underneath zone coverage. Well, there are a couple of reasons.

The zone coverage in the middle of the field seemed to be most concerned about giving up a first down to starting tight end Anthony Fasano, who was running a curl route in the seam. 

Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon was one of those men in zone coverage—a common occurrence in that Dolphins defense against the Chiefs—and his brief preoccupation with Fasano allowed Kelce to get across him underneath for the reception.

The coverage was blown, but how did Kelce get all the way to the end zone? 

NFL Game Rewind

Miami cornerback Cortland Finnegan—presumably a player of at least comparable speed, even at his advanced age—easily had the angle to make a tackle attempt well before the end zone. Yes, Finnegan had to accelerate while Kelce was already at full speed, but he still should have had plenty of room.

Unfortunately for him and the Dolphins, Kelce was quicker to the corner and easily shed Finnegan's weak tackle attempt for his first NFL touchdown at the pylon. 

Same as it ever was in Miami. 

NFL Game Rewind

The score against the Dolphins was similar to another 24-yard reception Kelce had in Week 2 against the Denver Broncos that fell just shy of the end zone.

Instead of dropping eight men into coverage, Denver's defense brought pressure. The Broncos blitzed while playing man coverage with a single-high safety.

NFL Game Rewind

That left a ton of space underneath for Kelce, and Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith found him for an easy first down. It went for much more than a first down, however, thanks once again to Kelce's speed.

Incidentally, this was a nice read from Smith, who was under fire early.

NFL Game Rewind

NFL Game rewind

The Broncos managed to get to him before he hit that pylon, but it was a huge play that brought the Chiefs to the goal line and eventually within four points.

Yet again, the talented second-year tight end showed his acceleration on this play, a drag route underneath that he nearly took to the house on third down in Week 2.

This wasn't a garbage time play—Kelce got a meaningful target in a game that was still relatively close, nearly scoring a touchdown that got the Chiefs within four points. 

It's plays like this that have Kelce atop the leaderboard at his position in yards per route run (YPRR)—the amount of passing yards gained per passing routes he has run to date—according to PFF. His 2.96 YPRR trump even the great Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints.

Just imagine when the Chiefs really try to get him involved in the passing game.

The more Kelce delivers, the more Smith and Reid will trust him on the field and in the passing game. That much is evident in his snap percentage, which has risen steadily over the first three weeks of the season.

Fasano may still be the starter, but Kelce is beginning to encroach on the slower veteran's turf. Sooner or later, Kelce will be the Darth Vader to Fasano's Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Follow @AlexMiglio