Ross Matiscik had not recorded a bad snap in 755 straight attempts since entering the NFL in 2020. That run ended when a shoulder injury forced the Jacksonville Jaguars’ long snapper out against Philadelphia on October 11. Suddenly, a job usually handled by one specialist fell to someone else.

DaVon Hamilton, a 335-pound defensive tackle, took over. Three of his eight snaps were high, including one that contributed to a missed extra point. But when Jacksonville needed a snap for Cam Little’s 57-yard field goal as time expired, Hamilton delivered. The Jaguars won 19–17, and the Kansas City Chiefs had a fresh reason to think about its own backup plan.

“I definitely thought about it, and I said to myself, ‘We need to get Kelce,’” Dave Toub told the reporters. “Because Kelce’s our guy. You can dial him up in two snaps, and he’s ready to go, but we need to practice it. The other guy that does it now is Gray, Noah Gray. So, two really good athletes that fit the bill.” 

Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub has now identified Travis Kelce as an emergency option behind regular long snapper James Winchester. The latter has not missed a game since joining the team in 2015, but his availability has not made the Chiefs immune to an in-game emergency.

Up till now, he has appeared in 181 regular-season games and 25 postseason games for the Chiefs. The team re-signed him in March to a one-year, $1.75 million deal for 2026. But take August 17, 2024, as an example.

He suffered a shoulder injury during a preseason game against the Detroit Lions. With Kelce already out of the game after two offensive series, Noah Gray was called into action. The second-string tight end had never long-snapped in a game at any level and later said he had received no training-camp reps at the position.

Gray handled two plays. He snapped to Araiza, who was holding for Butker’s 56-yard field goal, and later delivered the snap for a 61-yard punt. Both plays were completed, although the snaps arrived with some wobble. Winchester returned to the game in the second half. The episode showed why a backup might be able to get the job done in a pinch without being fully prepared for it.

Toub had already explained in 2016 why Kelce was a suitable backup. At the time, he said the tight end was the first player he would turn to for long snaps, while Anthony Sherman could cover short snaps.

“It’s so hard to be a snapper, to do a long snap and then shift to a short snap,” Toub said, explaining why he wanted Kelce to focus on long snapping. The Chiefs’ official 2016 media transcript documents that arrangement.

Toub reiterated Kelce’s value after the 2024 preseason game, saying, “Kelce is our backup long snapper, and Kelce during the regular season, I could throw him in there, and he’s dynamite, does a great job, but he was already out of the game.”

His comments to reporters make clear that Kelce’s absence that day, not a lack of trust in his ability, was why Gray had to step in.

The latest comments therefore revisit an established contingency plan rather than introduce a permanent new job for Kelce. Winchester remains the first choice, with Kelce and Gray among the options Toub can call upon if needed. The coordinator’s emphasis on practice is the new point: he wants the backups ready before an injury forces the issue.

Kelce caught 76 passes for 851 yards in 2025. Through Kansas City’s first four games of the 2026 season, he had 16 receptions for 246 yards and two touchdowns. The Chiefs were 4–0 at that point. His 2026 game log confirms the early-season figures.

While retirement speculation has followed Kelce into his 14th NFL season, Toub has not said this emergency role will be used in a particular game. Unless Winchester is unavailable and the coaching staff calls on him, Kelce will continue with his usual tight end duties.