Noah Gray 'So Grateful' for Opportunity to Impact Chiefs' Offense

A couple of months removed from his contract extension, Noah Gray is getting an expanded role in the Chiefs' offense and is happy for every opportunity.

Oct 7, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray (83) runs with the ball during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Because of injures to so many projected starters early in the season, the Kansas City Chiefs' offense has been forced to rely on role players more than expected. Whether it's at the running back or wide receiver position, someone other than the club's original No. 1 option is getting a hefty workload as the team attempts to adjust on the fly.

Despite good health, the tight end group is also seeing a non-Travis Kelce target help in a significant way. Fourth-year man Noah Gray is enjoying the best season of his career thus far. There was no greater example of that than his Week 7 breakout against the San Francisco 49ers.

Following his best performance to date, though, Gray says he's merely happy that Kansas City got the win.

"To be honest, and thank you for saying that, I don't really look at stuff like that," Gray said. "I think all of us in the locker room look at how we played based off whether we won or lost the game. And that was a great team, a great 49ers team. We're really looking forward to the challenge of playing the Raiders this week – a really good team with a really good defense. If we can get the win, that's how I'll base it off how I played. It's a lot of fun playing with those guys in there every day. Looking forward to it."

In that aforementioned victory over the reigning NFC champions, Gray tied his career-high mark in receptions with four and topped his previous best in yards by 19. His 66 yards led the team by more than 40, serving as a prime example of his impact. By just about all accounts, one can conclude that this is the most important effort Gray has had since entering the league in 2021.

As his role grows within the offense, Gray puts his trust in the coaching staff to put everyone in good positions to succeed.

"However Coach Reid and Coach Nags (Matt Nagy) and all those guys dial it up is how we roll," Gray said. "Like I said, I don't really look too much into that. Just playing out there with my brothers, working hard towards our common goal of winning every single week is all that matters to me. That's what I have the most fun with. That's why I love being a Chief and playing with these guys."

In the immediate aftermath of the 49ers game, Gray had the highest success rate (80%) of any qualified pass catcher this season. It's a limited sample size, but Pro Football Focus has him graded as the No. 3 tight end in their database. Among all Chiefs options in the passing game, he holds top-four marks in targets (15), receptions (14), receiving yards (185) and first downs (10). He's currently pacing to top the 500-yard threshold this season, which would be 200-plus more than last year's bar.

In typical Gray fashion, he doesn't seem concerned about that. He's more focused on making the most of his contract extension and enjoying every moment with his teammates.

"I can't thank God enough for the situation I'm in, being alongside these guys in the locker room," Gray said. "Like I said earlier, there's [a] tremendous group of people in that locker room that I'm fortunate enough to be around, from all different backgrounds. I'm just so grateful. Every single day, I thank God [and] I pray every day that I'm able to come out here and battle with these guys, practice with these guys and just go through the day-in and day-out grind that's asked of an NFL season with these dudes in the locker room."

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