Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Matt Bushman scores a touchdown during the 2022 preseason.
Kansas City Chiefs training camp is right around the corner, and with that comes new 2023 roster battles.
One interesting competition will likely be at the tight end position after head coach Andy Reid made it clear that dual-threat players like Noah Gray could chip in at fullback this season. That could open the door for an intriguing 2022 preseason darling who had a bittersweet ending to camp last summer.
“Andy Reid has already spoken about the team potentially carrying an extra tight end with no designated fullback on the 90-man offseason roster. Matt Bushman was a star in the Chiefs’ final preseason game against the Green Bay Packers last season, but he also suffered a fractured clavicle and wound up on injured reserve,” USA Today Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman detailed while calling Bushman someone that could “play their way” onto the 53-man roster.
“By all accounts, he’s looked very good this offseason and he’s been playing with each of the third-, second- and first-team offenses,” Goldman went on. “If Bushman performs well in training camp and the preseason, he could easily land a roster spot. There’s even potential for him to climb the depth chart and oust a veteran like Blake Bell.”
Matt Bushman Emergence Could End Blake Bell’s Run With Chiefs
The veteran blocking tight end affectionately referred to as the “Belldozer” has spent the past two seasons with Kansas City, but he also won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2019. He’s a helpful role player that could join Gray in taking fullback reps this year — should he make the Week 1 roster — but there’s no guarantee he will at age 32 in August.
The 27-year-old Bushman has been developing inside Reid’s system since January of 2022 — or the tail-end of the 2021 season. The former BYU product and Las Vegas Raiders UDFA has only appeared in two games on his NFL career.
Having said that, he was very productive as a pass-catcher throughout 2023 OTAs, outshining both Bell and reserve tight end Kendall Blanton in that regard.
If Bushman continues to impress this summer as another potential weapon for Patrick Mahomes II and the offense, it could very well mean the end of Bell as Goldman alluded. There is a world where both TEs make the 53-man roster, however.
Could Chiefs Keep 5 Tight Ends in 2023?
It goes without saying that Travis Kelce and Gray are locks to make the roster. Third-string TE Jody Fortson is also a virtual lock, barring injury or major regression.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Reid had four tight ends on the roster at one point in 2023 while also keeping a fullback in Michael Burton.
With no fullback in the mix this year, could a fifth TE actually make it instead of an extra wide receiver or running back? That sort of roster building is almost unheard of in the modern-day NFL, but if any head coach was going to do it, it’d be Reid.
Big Red has always utilized the tight end position more than the average HC, employing different types of skill sets and builds. In 2023, you could have the dynamic receiver in Kelce, the red zone mismatch in Fortson, the true dual-threat in Gray, the primary blocker in Bell and the promising up-and-comer in Bushman.
Sure, it’s a bit of a stretch, but it’d be foolish to totally rule it out after Reid’s fullback comments on May 24.