KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Injuries to kicker Spencer Shrader and tight end Peyton Hendershot forced the Chiefs to make a roster shuffle on Tuesday, along with a series of other maneuvers to clear a path for the expected return of Isiah Pacheco and Charles Omenihu.
The full list of roster moves made by the Chiefs on Tuesday:
- K Matt Wright signed to the practice squad
- TE Peyton Hendershot placed on injured reserve
- TE Baylor Cupp was restored to the practice squad from the practice squad/injured list
- DE Cameron Thomas waived
- Terminated the practice squad contracts of DE Truman Jones and OT Lucas Niang
Including Monday’s official signing of offensive tackle D.J. Humphries, the Chiefs have 51 players on the active roster. That is space to accommodate the anticipated return of both Pacheco and Omenihu as early as this week.
Shrader injured his hamstring during a private workout on Monday. Hendershot experienced calf cramps during Sunday’s win over Carolina but injury appears to be more significant.
The Chiefs signed Shrader Nov. 15 to fill in for the injured Harrison Butker. In two games, Shrader connected on all five field goal attempts as well as his six extra-point tries. His 31-yard field goal as time expired lifted the Chiefs to a 30-27 victory over the Carolina Panthers Sunday.
Hendershot played in five games for the Chiefs this season with three catches for 26 yards. He was also a frequent special teams contributor, averaging 45% of the team’s snaps per game. The club acquired Hendershot from Dallas in August in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round draft choice.
Matt Wright Signed
Wright has been a hired gun of sorts for NFL teams needing a short-term solution at kicker since entering the league as a free agent from Central Florida in 2019. Wright has spent time with eight NFL teams, including multiple stints with Pittsburgh, Carolina and San Francisco. This is his third stint with the Chiefs, with whom he earned a Super Bowl ring for the 2022 campaign. Wright was most recently with the San Francisco 49ers filling in for injured kicker Jake Moody.
Wright suffered shoulder and back injuries attempting to make a tackle against Seattle in Week 6 against Seattle. The club placed him on injured reserve Oct. 19, one day before the 49ers hosted the Chiefs. The club released him on Nov. 15.
Wright was Kansas City’s first choice to fill in at kicker after Harrison Butker required knee surgery that landed him on injured reserve. His injury status with the 49ers, however, led the Chiefs to turn their focus on Shrader.
While filling in for Butker in 2022, Wright hit on 3-of-4 field goal attempts. He set a then-franchise record with a 59-yard field at the end of the first half against the Las Vegas Raiders during a Monday night game on Oct. 10. Butker returned the following week and set the current club record with a 62-yard field goal against the Buffalo Bills.
Wright has connected on 43 of 50 field goal attempts in 25 games. He is 25-of-26 on attempts inside 40 yards and 12-of-15 on kicks from 40 to 49 yards.
Tight End Situation
Hendershot landing on injured reserve potentially opens the door for veteran Anthony Firkser as a potential practice squad elevation this week. The 29-year-old Firkser signed with the Chiefs practice squad Nov. 2 after rookie Jared Wiley landed on injured reserve.
Firkser entered the league as an undrafted free agent from Harvard in 2017. He’s spent time with six NFL clubs, including time on the Chiefs’ practice squad in 2017. His career numbers include 115 catches for 1,207 yards and five touchdowns. During his time on the Kansas City practice squad, he served as a scout team tight end catching passes from Patrick Mahomes.
Cupp, an undrafted rookie free agent from Texas Tech, was placed on the practice squad injured list Sept. 26 with an undisclosed issue. He played in all three preseason games for the Chiefs hauling in three passes for 25 yards and a touchdown.
The Chiefs have just two tight ends on the active roster, Travis Kelce and Noah Gray.
Parting Ways … for Now
The Chiefs parted ways with three players including Thomas, whom the club acquired via a trade with Arizona on Aug. 27 in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick belonging to the New York Jets. The Chiefs acquired that pick as part of last season’s trade for Mecole Hardman.
Thomas played in four games for the Chiefs, taking part in six snaps on defense and 22 on special teams. The club acquired Thomas in hopes of converting him from a 3-4 linebacker to a 4-3 defensive end and giving the defense a different chess piece as an edge rusher. If Thomas goes unclaimed on waivers, there’s a possibility the Chiefs could return him to their practice squad.
The Chiefs also terminated the practice squad contracts of Niang and Jones. Niang, a 2020 third-round selection, opted out of his rookie season during the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in 2021 and played 33 games for the Chiefs with nine starts at tackle during his rookie season. A torn patella tendon in Week 16 ended his season and kept him out of the 2022 campaign until Week 12.
Jones signed with the Chiefs as a college free agent after the 2023 NFL Draft. He spent the past two seasons on the club’s practice squad without playing in a regular-season game.
What’s Next?
The Chiefs sit at 51 players on the active roster. That leaves room for the additions of Pacheco and Omenihu from injured reserve. Each player’s 21-day practice window expires next week, so the Chiefs must add them to the active roster before then or keep them on injured reserve for the remainder of the season. It’s expected the Chiefs will active both players this week.
The Chiefs will likely use a practice squad elevation on Wright this week. If the Chiefs wish to carry three tight ends against the Raiders on Friday, they would need to use their second practice squad elevation on either Firkser or Cupp.
The deadline to make roster moves before Friday’s contest against the Raiders is 3 p.m. central time Thursday.
