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3 Tight Ends the Chiefs Should Target to Replace Blake Bell

By Jason Schandl

Tight ends the Chiefs can target in free agency to replace Blake Bell.
Tight ends the Chiefs can target in free agency to replace Blake Bell. / Focus On Sport/Getty Images
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The Kansas City Chiefs have one of the NFL's best tight ends in Travis Kelce, but that doesn't mean there's no need for depth at the position. Kelce played 971 snaps in 2019, and Blake Bell and Deon Yelder combined to play 444, with Bell accounting for almost 400 of those.

Bell signed with the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, so now the Chiefs have a need in that TE2 role. Here are three players they can target to replace Bell ahead of the 2020 NFL season.

1. Lance Kendricks

Lance Kendricks on the sideline of a game against the Packers.
Lance Kendricks on the sideline of a game against the Packers. / John McCoy/Getty Images

While the MO of the Chiefs' offense is usually speed, Bell wasn't used much as a receiver (running fewer than 100 routes on his 397 snaps), so that's not the priority here. Like Bell, Lance Kendricks received a better overall grade than a receiving grade on Pro Football Focus in 2019, suggesting his value comes more as a blocker. Kendricks didn't get on the field much for the Los Angeles Chargers, and he should cost very little to add in free agency this offseason.

2. Eric Tomlinson

Eric Tomlinson during a Jets game.
Eric Tomlinson during a Jets game. / Sarah Stier/Getty Images

For all intents and purposes, Eric Tomlinson could be considered a sixth offensive lineman on most snaps. He had just 59 receptions in four college seasons, and he's been targeted only 26 times on 899 offensive snaps over his NFL career. He also stepped up as a special teams contributor during his time with the New York Jets, playing over 40 percent of their special teams snaps in both 2017 and 2018. That makes him a great candidate to replace Bell, who played 50 percent of KC's special teams snaps last season.

3. Luke Stocker

Luke Stocker on the sidelined during a 2019 game against the Saints.
Luke Stocker on the sidelined during a 2019 game against the Saints. / Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Another veteran special teams contributor, Luke Stocker was on the field for over 40 percent of his team's special teams snaps in each of the last two seasons, doing the job with the Tennessee Titans then the Atlanta Falcons. He serves primarily as a blocker on the offensive side of the ball, once again making him a good fit for the Belldozer's old role.

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Jason Schandl is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Jason Schandl also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username Jaymun. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.