Chiefs' Travis Kelce Praised Giants Tight End Daniel Bellinger
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Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is perhaps the best tight end in the NFL today. So when he offers up a compliment about an up-and-coming player, people take notice.
That's what he did last week before Super Bowl 57 when he was asked if there were any young tight ends currently in the NFL whose playing style reminded him of himself.
“There are a few great tight ends out there,” Kelce said via NJ.com. “I don’t know if there are any that remind me of myself, but there are a few guys I’m excited about. Kyle Pitts (of the Atlanta Falcons) being one of them. (Jake) Ferguson down in Dallas and (Daniel) Bellinger over in New York. I’m excited to see how these guys manifest over the next few years, and we’ll see where they can take their game.”
The mention of Bellinger certainly is encouraging to hear for the Giants faithful. Last year's fourth-round pick emerged as the Giants' No. 1 tight end, finishing his rookie season with 30 catches for 268 yards, two receiving touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. He also had a touchdown reception in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.
Bellinger saw his role increase weekly in the Giants offense until a flukey eye injury sidelined him starting in Week 8. When he returned sporting a protective face shield, he went on to play over 80% of the tight end snaps in his last five games, all starts.
While much was made of Bellinger's receiving ability, where he developed a knack for finding holes in zone coverage and catching balls despite what was happening around him, his edge and move blocking were also solid yet underrated parts of the team's playoff run.
The Giants didn't test the deep part of the field much in their passing game, but that could very well be on the to-do list in 2023 once the team upgrades its talent in the trenches and in the skill position groups.
Bellinger figures to be a part of that, and it wouldn't be surprising if the offense begins sending him up the seam more often, where, with his size, he could do some significant damage at the second level and beyond.
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