Travis Kelce may be the most prominent name among the Kansas City Chiefs‘ pass catchers, but his connection with Patrick Mahomes hasn’t been so strong at the start of the 2024 NFL season. Still, Andy Reid believes there’s nothing to be worried about.
Not only has the head coach shown full support every time he’s been asked about the tight end, but Reid also believes the Chiefs already have a weapon that can make a similar impact on the field.
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Reid claimed that player is none other than wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster: “The guy opposite Kelce ends up being very important, they know how to play the game and can kind of do similar things that Kelce can do. If you can get that, you’ve got something going offensively that way.”
The veteran wideout returned to Kansas City this season after leaving for the New England Patriots in 2023. Last time out, Smith-Schuster went off with seven catches for 130 yards in the Chiefs’ Week 5 over the Saints. Kelce trailed him with nine receptions for 70 yards, but overall, Reid considers both are capable of making similar plays for Mahomes.
“So he (Smith-Schuster) did that before, (Byron) Pringle did that beforehand. We’ve had guys in those spots that could do that,” Reid said, via Chiefs Wire. “So that’s a positive thing. Anyways, JuJu is good with it, and there are similar things. They’re doing similar things.”
A challenging start to 2024 NFL season for Kelce on Chiefs
Kelce’s slow start with the Chiefs gave plenty to talk about in the opening weeks of the 2024 NFL season. The coach has constantly made it clear he didn’t care about the stats, as he feels the tight end plays a key role in the offense even when the numbers don’t suggest that.
The 35-year-old didn’t look worried in all these weeks either, even if his competitive nature sometimes makes him feel bad. But Kelce also admitted his chemistry with Mahomes may not be the same as in previous years.
Defenses paying too much attention to Kelce prevents the quarterback from finding the tight end as much as they would like to, but it also allows Mahomes to find other pass catchers open. This has been the case in 2024.
Kelce finding more chemistry with Mahomes as Chiefs suffer key losses
Regardless, the Mahomes-Kelce connection has increased in the last two weeks after Rashee Rice’s injury. Now that Reid seemed to confirmed the Chiefs will lose the star wideout for the rest of the season, the tight end is expected to catch even more passes from the quarterback.
Kelce already had a big game in Week 4 and got even more involved in Week 5, where Smith-Schuster also raised his hand. On Sunday, the 49ers will present a huge test to the Chiefs’ offense. Will Kelce and Smith-Schuster once again step up for Reid and Mahomes?