Travis Kelce Enters 2022 On Brink Of Tight End History

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For nearly the last decade, Travis Kelce has been on a consistent tear at the tight end position. He may not have always been the undisputed top man at his position during that time. However, Kelce has continued to get better, more rounded as a player and has continued to ride a tremendous stretch of momentum.

The way in which he wins as a pass catcher, especially as a move tight end, has helped shape the new age of how NFL teams use their tight ends. Overall, his lengthy run will likely go down as one of the best in the history of the NFL for tight ends. Kelce still has a spectacular shot of rewriting the record books, even in 2022, though. When you consider the importance of his role in the Kansas City Chiefs offense, that becomes even more tantalizing in a year when KC made so many personnel changes offensively.

Based on his average numbers, Kelce has a strong chance to continue to etch his name in the tight end record books. What milestones could be achieved this season? What may be slightly different for him in the Chiefs offense in 2022? We will answer that and more, as we look ahead to the statistical outlook of Travis Kelce in 2022. Let’s kick it off.

Eye-Popping Numbers Averaged During Lengthy Run

After missing his rookie season with injury, Travis Kelce has been a model of consistency since 2014. He has only missed three possible regular season games in the last eight years. One of those was due to COVID-19 protocols last year. The team also rested starters in the regular season finale at least one of those other two games. Kelce has arguably continued to look more polished and fluid as a route runner or pass catcher as his career has gone on. At the same time, the Chiefs have been able to see him make noticeable adjustments and saw him alter his plan in one-on-one matchups.

In the final six of those last eight campaigns, Kelce has registered at least 117 targets, 83 receptions, 1,038 receiving yards and averaged at least 12.2 yards per reception. He has had at least eight receiving touchdowns in four of those last six seasons, to boot. Some of those years have seen him produce at a higher peak than others. Simply put, there is a standard and a threshold that Travis Kelce has set for himself from a game-by-game and season-by-season basis, production-wise.

Milestones That Can Be Reached In 2022

Given that standard, consistency and health, there is great reason to believe that Travis Kelce can achieve more record-breaking milestones in 2022. He currently holds the record for most consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end (six). Thus, his recent extended stretch suggests that it is not difficult to envision Kelce extending that record to a seventh consecutive year.

There are two other notable NFL milestones that Kelce can achieve among all-time tight ends. Firstly, he needs 103 receptions to surpass the great Jason Witten for most receptions by a tight end in his first 10 seasons in NFL history. Witten tallied 806 receptions in his first 10 years. Kelce needs 994 receiving yards this season to become the fifth tight end in NFL history with at least 10,000 career receiving yards. If so, he would join names like Tony Gonzalez (15,127), Witten (13,046), Antonio Gates (11,841) and Shannon Sharpe (10,060) to surpass that 10,000-yard career mark.

New-Look Chiefs Offense Altering Usage Of Travis Kelce?

It may not be a major alteration to how Travis Kelce was used in the past, but we could see a slightly different form of usage for the tight end in 2022. The personnel changes could very well take him out of that underneath, security blanket type of role. Surely, Kelce could still command a fair bit of targets on routes underneath or in the shallow areas. Being used more as a tight end in an attacking role is much more possible, nevertheless.

Kansas City added a splendid mix of size and quickness to their wide receiver room this offseason. Moreover, this team now has more trustworthy and proven options to lean on to make difficult catches in dirty areas or in traffic. How does that affect Kelce? First off, he could see more space to release at the top of his routes, given the strength of the other wide receivers. The tight end may also be worked into the deeper portions of the field more often in 2022. Either way, Travis Kelce will once again be able to put defenders on their heels, especially with the chemistry that he and Patrick Mahomes have.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles and analysis in the coming days. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.