NFL trade grades: Chiefs find potential Travis Kelce understudy in deal with Cowboys

Not only are Kansas City Chiefs spoiled getting to watch arguably the most talented quarterback of all time, Patrick Mahomes dominate for them, but they've had the privilege of watching some of the best tight end play in NFL history for the better part of the last decade.

Like Mahomes, Travis Kelce is one of the best at his position in NFL history. He's a nine-time Pro Bowler, a four-time All-Pro, and a three-time Super Bowl champion. While he proved he can still turn it on in games that matter most, Kelce did take a step back in the 2023 regular season, as his 984 receiving yards and five touchdown receptions were his lowest marks since 2015 and 2016 respectively.

At 34 years old, it's reasonable to expect Kelce's production to only continue to dip ever so slightly. He's still undoubtedly elite, but he doesn't exactly have another decade of action ahead of him.

Knowing this, the Chiefs might have just planned for the future a bit by pulling off a deal with the Dallas Cowboys according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

NFL trade grades: Chiefs add tight end depth behind Travis Kelce in trade with Cowboys

Pelissero confirmed that a conditional seventh-round pick in 2026 is going back to Dallas in the deal, so here's the full trade:

Peyton Hendershot appeared in 25 games in parts of the last two seasons for the Cowboys, racking up a total of 15 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns. Both touchdown receptions were recorded in 2022, when he appeared in all 17 games for Dallas. All he managed this past season for the Cowboys was four receptions for 38 yards in eight games. He had just one reception for 10 yards this preseason, and was going to be cut according to Pelissero.

Knowing he was going to be cut makes this a solid deal for Dallas, and it's simple as to why. Even though it's just a conditional seventh-round pick, they managed to get something for a player who they were going to cut.

From the Chiefs' perspective, this also makes some sense. While Hendershot has done next to nothing at the NFL level, he now gets to sit behind and learn from Kelce, one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, and perhaps play a role sometime in the future.

With Noah Gray slated to hit free agency at the end of this season and Kelce's future unclear at best, the Chiefs get to see what Hendershot can do. Even if he doesn't end up playing a role for them in the future, they gave up relatively nothing to land him.

As of now, the Cowboys probably win this trade by the slightest of margins knowing they got something for a player who was going to get cut in a matter of hours, but that could change if Hendershot winds up playing an actual role in Kansas City this season or sometime in the future. It's a solid deal for both sides.

Chiefs trade grade: B-
Cowboys trade grade: B