The Kansas City Chiefs have built their 2026 offense around Kenneth Walker III, and the trade deadline now raises an awkward question about Travis Kelce. ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell has floated one possible fix. Send a 2027 fifth-round pick to the Eagles for tight end Dallas Goedert. Kansas City leans on heavy personnel groups around Patrick Mahomes, so a second receiving tight end fits how this team plays. Kelce is 37. Goedert is on a one-year deal. On paper, the fit is easy to see, and the price is small.
Chiefs face a Travis Kelce dilemma as the offense leans on Kenneth Walker
Walker has been the engine. Defenses are starting to adjust, though, and the wear on a lead back adds up over a long season. That has fueled talk of a wide receiver arriving before the deadline to open up the passing game. Barnwell sees a different path, writing:
“With the Chiefs playing bullyball and building their offense around Kenneth Walker III, though, I wonder whether going in the opposite direction (of trading for a WR) might be a better idea. They already use 12 or 13 personnel on nearly 40% of Patrick Mahomes' dropbacks. So, what about adding another receiving tight end to the mix?”
Think about what that means for Kelce. In those groupings he is part of the base plan, not a luxury piece.
The numbers back him up. PFF's grades from October 20 rank Kelce second among tight ends with at least 15 targets, at 82.1. Only Brock Bowers, at 85.8, sits higher. Goedert appears sixth at 76.2, behind Isaiah Likely, Sam LaPorta and T.J. Hockenson. The gap between the two is real. Still, 76.2 is a solid grade for a second tight end.
Goedert could solve a short-term need and a long-term one
Goedert is in his ninth NFL season. He has never been flashy, just steadily productive, and it could be argued Philadelphia has under-used him. Kansas City could absorb his contract easily. If he fit, the Chiefs could re-sign him in the offseason.
Barnwell also addressed the obvious hesitation:
“Chiefs GM Brett Veach might be reticent to trade draft picks for short-term options after moves for players such as DeAndre Hopkins haven't necessarily paid off in recent years, but Goedert could also be the replacement for Kelce as the primary tight end in Kansas City if he signs a new deal after the season.”
Veach has reason to guard his picks. Still, a fifth-rounder is a modest price. Goedert and Kelce already work together in Kelce's Tight End University program, so the learning curve should be short, and the Chiefs would get a season-long look at their next starter.
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