New Heights: Travis Kelce Shouts Out Multiple KC Chiefs Players for Stepping Up

On this week's podcast episode, Kelce tips his cap to Justin Reid, Rashee Rice and Drue Tranquill for the jobs they're doing helping the Chiefs succeed.

The Kansas City Chiefs got back on track with a Week 12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders, and the leaders of the team are happy with the direction things are headed in.

Tight end Travis Kelce has had plenty to say in the aftermath of Sunday afternoon's game. On a new episode of the New Heights podcast with his brother Jason, Kelce deflected credit and instead tipped his cap to several of his teammates for what they've done to help the team as of late.

Three players were singled out: safety Justin Reid, wide receiver Rashee Rice and linebacker Drue Tranquill. Praising them all for different reasons, Kelce took a few minutes to ensure that his fellow Chiefs got their flowers for leading the way and responding to adversity this season. 

Justin Reid supports New Heights before Week 12 game

The quote: "J-Reid, ever since he's been on the team, has been one of the smartest football players I've ever played with, one of the hardest workers, you name it. Comes down and plays physical football, absolutely love playing with him. Love having him on the other side of the ball and obviously, winning Super Bowls with him has been f— fun, man." 

On the video version of New Heights, it was pointed out how Reid was spotted wearing some show-specific merchandise in advance of Sunday's outing in Las Vegas. Kelce is glad that his teammates are fans of the podcast, adding some thorough analysis of the job Reid does as a professional on the Chiefs. The veteran safety was relied upon to lead a new-look Kansas City defense right when he got into the building prior to last season, and he's performing at a respectable level both on and off the field. 

Rashee Rice steps up and provides elite WR production

The quote: "It's what people want to f— point at. They don't see the big numbers in the wide receiver room that they've seen in the past but obviously, it's a combination of a lot of things. But when a guy's taking a shallow cross to the house, that's electric and that's something we definitely can use and we haven't necessarily seen up to this point. Rashee, keep that s— coming, baby. My guy, just keep being you dog. That play alone, everybody on the sideline was happy as hell for him. When you see a guy coming into his own in the NFL and having success, you can't be happier for him, especially when you got a win." 

Sunday was a coming-out party for the Chiefs' second-round rookie, as he set career-best marks for targets (10), receptions (8) and yards (107) against the Raiders. It was a much-needed breakout for the Kansas City wide receiver room, especially considering it's been such a bumpy ride thus far in 2023. Kansas City believes it's just scratching the surface with Rice, who still has some room to grow as a player. Both Kelce brothers are taking notice of the SMU product's rise to rookie stardom. 

Drue Tranquill gets praised for filling in admirably in Nick Bolton's absence

The quote: "We had a guy, our middle linebacker Nick Bolton go down, who hopefully will get back here. But my guy Drue Tranquill, who was an offseason addition, has been f— just playing ball, man. When you think of a football guy, this is who I'm talking about, man. Has every brace that you [could have], he doesn't give a f— how he feels. He's going to go out there and play some f— football, and he's going to do it for the guy next to him. That's my kind of ball player right there. Tranq has brought the mentality, he's brought smarts, he's brought athleticism and just fits into this defensive mold. Especially with a stud like Nick Bolton going down, it's going to be awesome to have both of those guys on the field at the same time, man." 

It's been a wild ride of a year for Chiefs linebackers, with Nick Bolton limited to just four games played. Many would've expected that to be a doomsday scenario for the Kansas City defense, but the transition to Tranquill has been seamless. Bolton is returning to practice, which is good news for the Chiefs. The sample size of a Bolton-Tranquill duo remains relatively small, so Kelce's optimism is totally justified. 

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