Kansas City Chiefs stress patience with TE Travis Kelce

Aug 9, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Chiefs 17-13. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 9, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the New Orleans Saints during a preseason game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Saints defeated the Chiefs 17-13. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is ripe with talented, young tight end’s and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs is no different.

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A former third-round pick, Kelce didn’t get much action during the Chiefs Week 1 loss to the Tennessee Titans, a bit of an oddity considering how often the team passed. Regardless, head coach Andy Reid didn’t appear happy with Travis Kelce’s usage and it’s expected the young tight end will mature into a more productive role with the organization moving forward.

How soon will that come? Nobody really knows at this point, though Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson suggests there needs to be some patience as Travis Kelce is a guy that is ‘still learning’.

“He’s a guy that’s learning,” Pederson said, “and he’s a guy that mentally we are going to put in certain situations and build a package around and give him ‘X’ amount of plays a game, and it’s just through his growth and his maturity that, the more he can handle, the more obviously he’ll step on the field.”

Despite being on the field for only 18 snaps in Week 1, quarterback Alex Smith still targeted Travis Kelce on five separate occasions with the tight end hauling in three of those attempts for 49 yards.

Understandably, there is going to be a learning curve for Travis Kelce but the Kansas City Chiefs tight end looks primed to become one of the elite at the position assuming his progression continues.

Expect big things out of the former Cincinnati star moving forward.