Robert Tonyan is forcing the Chiefs to rethink their tight end plans

The Kansas City Chiefs had been here before. The signing of a veteran tight end to add a bit of competition to the offseason 90-man roster is a fairly typical thing for Brett Veach—think Irv Smith Jr. or Kendall Blanton.

Imagine the collective surprise of Chiefs Kingdom, then, when Robert Tonyan to upend any and all expectations.

Through two preseason games, Tonyan has been the Chiefs' leading receiver against the both the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. While the sample size is small, the competition suspect, and the scenario ultimately meaningless, anyone who's watched Tonyan's bo dy of work knows there's very real roster impact at work.

Tonyan's productivity in preseason games mirrors the excellence he's brought to training camp practices and even solid showings in minicamp and OTAs. All accounts from anything Chiefs-related are positive when it comes to Tonyan, and it's forced the Chiefs to rethink things at the tight end position.

Brett Veach is going to have to rethink things at tight end given Robert Tonyan's performance.

As the '25 season came into view, the Chiefs welcomed back Travis Kelce for another year—perhaps his last—and knew Noah Gray was in the pipeline through 20 26. The top two tight ends on the depth chart were secure. Beyond that, it looked favorable for second-year TE Jared Wiley to rebound from an injury-plagued rookie campaign to be the team's TE3.

Then things got a bit more complex after the draft. Veach didn't select a tight end, but managed to secure the services of Clemson star Jake Briningstool as a rookie free agent. Given how Briningstool looked in spring activities, and given his proven production for years with the Tigers, he looked like the sort of prospect the Chiefs might want to stash on the active roster.

Yet instead of Briningstool stealing headlines, he's been sitting on the shelf himself with a hamstring concern. Meanwhile, Wiley has been slow to return to any consistent level. Meanwhile, Tonyan has turned heads with a completely unanticipated showing at tight end.

Kelce is a big fan of Tonyan, and he should be. Tonyan is the team's best blocker, which gives him immediate value. He's a proven special teams performer as well. He comes with the level of experience and reliabilty that should force Wiley and Briningstool to take a backseat, even if they were healthy. But now, Tonyan is also showing receiving skills that are leading the team.

At this point, it would be a shock if Tonyan were not the third tight end on the roster, which forces Veach to consider other options with his young prospects at the position. But that's not Tonyan's concern. He's done what he came to do and he's forced the Chiefs to adapt in the process.