The Chiefs have not just tweaked their offense in 2026 - they’ve leaned into a wholesale change, and the tight end room sits right at the center of it.
A month into the season, Kansas City is using multiple tight end looks at a staggering rate. According to Sharp Football Analysis, 44 percent of the Chiefs’ offensive snaps have come with more than one tight end on the field.
At the same time, the team is in 11 personnel just 50 percent of the time, which ranks 23rd in the NFL. By comparison, 17 teams are in 11 personnel on 60 percent of their snaps or more, with a few others sitting just below that mark at 59 percent.
The rest of Kansas City’s personnel usage tells the same story. The Chiefs are tied for sixth in the league in 12 personnel usage at 33 percent of snaps and tied for seventh in 13 personnel at 11 percent.
They’ve also brought a fullback-type spot back into the mix, ranking 10th in 21 personnel at 6.1 percent. The one grouping they haven’t used yet this season is 22 personnel.
Given the makeup of this roster, the shift is not exactly a shock. The wide receiver group was considered the biggest question heading into the regular season.
Kansas City did make moves to address the pass rush in the offseason, but the receiving room still looked like the area most likely to create headaches. Now Tyquan Thornton is injured, and the Chiefs are even thinner at the position when it comes to trusted downfield options.
Xavier Worthy had a solid game before the bye week, but the big question remains whether he can consistently produce chunk plays and threaten defenses deeper down the field.
That opens the door for a possible trade deadline addition at receiver, though the market does not look especially rich. Still, the current setup makes Kansas City’s heavy tight end usage feel less like a wrinkle and more like the natural answer.
The tight ends have paid that off, too. Travis Kelce has looked smoother running routes and quicker after the catch.
He simply did not have that same burst over the previous two seasons. With the Chiefs adjusting their offensive approach, Kelce is also getting cleaner, easier completions from Patrick Mahomes instead of being buried under the kind of coverage he faced at points last year.
Noah Gray has chipped in as well. In important spots through the first four games, Mahomes has shown no hesitation in giving Gray chances to win one-on-one or create after the catch. His performance against Miami was the most productive single game the tight end has had since 2024, and the Chiefs would love for that to become something more dependable.
Jake Briningstool is another name worth noting. He has been getting snaps over Jared Wiley, who has been a healthy scratch and game-day inactive through the first month.
Briningstool turned heads in training camp in 2025, and injury allowed the Chiefs to stash him last season. The way Kansas City is using him makes it obvious the team sees him as a strong fit for these multiple tight end packages, and that could set him up for a few more designed chances after the bye week.
In Other News...
Chiefs Kingdom Is Bigger Than Most Fans Probably Realize
A look at Rally Houses sales data shows just how far the Chiefs reach has spread well beyond Kansas and Missouri. The retailer, which operates more than 300 stores across 29 states, said Kansas City has been its top-selling team in a wide swath of the country since 2009, a sign that the franchises appeal has become national rather than regional.
What makes the trend stand out even more is the footprint of those markets. Some of the states where Chiefs gear has moved best already have their own professional teams, which only underscores how much Kansas Citys recent success and increased media visibility have helped build a bigger fan base. For a team long tied to the Midwest, that kind of growth says as much about the brand as it does about what is happening on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Taylor Swifts Chiefs Streak May End During A Huge Home Game
Taylor Swifts run of Chiefs home appearances appears headed for a pause just as Kansas City gets ready for another significant AFC West game. Swift has been a fixture at 14 straight home games, often drawing as much attention as the action on the field, but this weekends matchup with the Chargers comes with a very different backdrop and a packed calendar on her end.
The timing points away from Arrowhead and toward Los Angeles, where Swift is scheduled to be part of the Academy Museum Gala the night before the game. The weekend is being framed around her career ambitions rather than a trip to support Travis Kelce in person, leaving open the possibility that one of the most visible off-field streaks tied to the Chiefs may finally come to an end. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Trade Idea Targets A Quiet Need Before The Deadline
Kansas City has rolled out to a 4-0 start, and the offense has done enough to keep the Chiefs looking every bit like a contender. Even so, the recent move of Tyquan Thornton to injured reserve has only sharpened the focus on a quieter need in the passing game, one that shows up in the middle of the field rather than on the highlight reels.
That is where a player like Darnell Mooney starts to make sense. He has the kind of production in the intermediate area that Kansas City can use right now, and with Rashee Rice injured, the Chiefs are light on answers there. Mooney is under contract for the rest of the year, which makes him a plausible deadline target if Kansas City wants to add help without paying a steep price. [Read more 🡒]