More than Travis Kelce’s backup. Why former Duke TE Noah Gray is so important to Chiefs

While Noah Gray’s days in a Duke uniform are over, his fandom of his school is far from it. He was cheering on the basketball Blue Devils last Saturday as they dominated the Tar Heels in Cameron.

But, it almost never happened. Noah wasn’t supposed to go to Duke. In fact, he wanted to go to the rival school eight miles down the road, but never received an offer from UNC Chapel Hill.

“I was actually a huge UNC fan growing up and had family in North Carolina so I knew I wanted to be closer to them,” Gray said. “I went to camp there at UNC a few times and they never offered me. Fortunately, I got a call from Eli Keimach over at Duke who was a grad assistant at the time and I went to camp there, and I ended up really loving the coaches and the school. I thank God every day that they gave me the opportunity to go there.”

However Gray wasn’t recruited as a quarterback which he played all throughout high school. He was recruited as a tight end.

“He was a high school quarterback, and he came to our camp, and he came down from Boston, and I told him, I said, ‘No, I can’t offer you as a quarterback, but I’ll offer you right now as a tight end,’” David Cutcliffe, former Duke head coach, said. “Thank the good Lord, he took the offer and came and played tight end for us.”

The unpredictable landing spot for Gray produced rewards for everyone. In his time at Duke, Gray only missed one game, notching 105 receptions for 948 yards and eight touchdowns. He was a 2019 second-team All American, second-team, all-ACC pick and finished fourth in program history for most career touchdown receptions by a tight end.

However, Gray isn’t the only Kansas City Chiefs tight end who Cutcliffe tried to convert. He also told Travis Kelce, a high school quarterback, the same thing at a camp when he was at Tennessee. The result wasn’t the same as Travis got mad at him, but now the two joke about it.

Overcoming illness

Gray’s college experience wasn’t without trials. With his time as a student athlete, came unexpected challenges, most notably being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. He credits his coaches for helping him navigate diabetes with playing football.

“I can’t say enough great things about everybody on that staff,” Gray said. “I was diagnosed with Type 1 when I was at Duke. So [they] did a great job of really encouraging me to keep moving forward, that I can continue playing football.”

But Durham provided more than a top-notch education. In the midst of COVID-19, Gray met his wife, Mary Elise Gray, a Duke lacrosse star when she was known as Mary Markwordt. Because of the pandemic, Gray couldn’t go to a lot of places but after taking the same class, things sparked between the two athletes and the rest is history. Now, the two are married and have a 10-month-old daughter.

When he’s not playing football, the couple enjoys playing pickleball together. The support between Gray and his wife goes far beyond his success as a professional athlete.

“She supports me in everything that I do,” Noah Gray said. “She prays for me constantly, which is super important to me. And you know, she’s always taking care of the house and taking care of our daughter when I’m gone. She’s constantly loving me… but the biggest thing, I think, is you know her prayers, her faith in Jesus Christ, and just how uplifting that is.”

Super Bowl success in KC

The now two-time Super Bowl Champion, Gray is in his fourth season with the Chiefs after being picked in the fifth-round by Kansas City in the 2021 NFL Draft. Known for his versatility and special teams contributions, his production often goes under the radar as the secondary tight end to Kelce.

But the praise isn’t under the radar from his teammates. When Hollywood Brown joined the Chiefs in 2024, he didn’t know much about who Noah Gray was, but that soon changed.

“Noah Gray - he’s a phenom,” Brown said. “When I first got here and all my friends asked, ‘Who stood out to you,’ I always told them Noah Gray. They didn’t know who it was at first but man, he’s a great player, blocker, route runner, teammate, great guy.”

While his numbers don’t always stand out on the score sheet, a big part of his job is the blocking he does to open up running plays for the offense and other offensive schemes. Heading into the Super Bowl on Sunday afternoon, Gray has 40 receptions this season for 437 yards, averaging 10.9 yards a carry and scoring five touchdowns.

Even though he only had one catch for six yards for the Chiefs in the 2022 Super Bowl, one thing is for sure — in a Duke or a Chiefs uniform — whenever his name is called, Gray delivers.

“Noah always makes that big play when we need him,” said Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt. “Coming in, you don’t see how much he blocks but he blocks a good amount and makes that big play.

Anna Laible is a student with UNC Media Hub, a program with the UNC Hussman School of Journalism and Media, reporting from the Super Bowl in New Orleans. Laible hosts the Speak Up Sports Podcast. Follow her journey covering her first Super Bowl on her Instagram (@anna_laible).

This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 6:00 AM.