Oct 26, 2014; Cincinnati; Then-Ravens tight end Phillip Supernaw (84) against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – New Chiefs tight end Phillip Supernaw may find himself with immediate playing time against the Seattle Seahawks.
The Chiefs signed Supernaw from the Baltimore Ravens practice squad Tuesday after placing tight end Demetrius Harris (foot) on injured reserve.
Starting tight end Anthony Fasano (knee) didn’t practice Wednesday, leaving Travis Kelce and Supernaw as the primary options as the Chiefs prepare for Sunday’s game.
“Phillip will get some reps today,” coach Andy Reid said. “We’ll get him in the mix and give him an opportunity to go.”
While the Chiefs have depth concerns at tight end if Fasano is unavailable Sunday, Supernaw isn’t coming into the offensive system 100 percent blind.
“Some of the things he did with the Ravens are similar to some of the things we do here, terminology-wise,” Reid said. “He’s got a little bit of a foundation there, so it’s not like learning French overnight, necessarily. He’s right in there.”
For his part, Supernaw said he’s diving into the playbook to learn as much as possible.
“I’m putting the pressure on myself to get it and get it out,” Supernaw said. “I’ve got to learn it and pick it up fast. A lot of it is the same. There are some different concepts, a lot of the naming is a lot different. I don’t think I’ll have a problem picking it up. I’ll be able to help out.”
The 6-5, 248-pound Supernaw originally entered the league in 2012 out of Ouachita Baptist with the Houston Texans (2012-13).
He has four career appearances, one with the Texans and three with the Ravens, with once catch for -2 yards.
Supernaw won’t be alone on a new team, as he reunites with cornerbacks Jamell Fleming and Deji Olatoye, both of whom came from Baltimore this season, and two other Chiefs players.
“I played with (right tackle) Ryan Harris in Houston,” Supernaw said. “I know (rookie running back) Charcandrick West. We have the same agent, so I trained with him before. There are a few guys I knew here coming into this.”
Supernaw said he found out he was coming to Kansas City while in team meetings, and is aware of tight ends having success in Reid’s version of the West Coast offense.
But Supernaw prefers to focus on contributing wherever he is needed.
“I can’t really think about those types of things,” he said of past tight ends having success in Reid’s scheme. “I just got to focus on what I can do to help out the team at this point.”
