KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs continued their draft wheeling and dealing before day three even started, shipping tight end James O’Shaughnessy and a sixth-round pick to the New England Patriots for a fifth-round selection, the No. 183rd pick overall.
Aug. 3, 2015; St. Joseph, MO: Chiefs tight end James O’Shaughnessy catches a pass during training camp drills. (Emily DeShazer/The Topeka Capital-Journal)
The Chiefs now have three fifth-round selections: the No. 170th, 180th and 183rd picks. The team also owns a sixth-round pick, No. 218 overall. The team currently has no selections in the fourth and seventh rounds.
The Patriots also received pick No. 216 in the sixth round in addition to O’Shaughnessy.
Kansas City drafted O’Shaughnessy in the fifth round of the 2016 draft with the No. 173rd pick. He played in all 16 games for the Chiefs last season, primarily on special teams, while catching two passes for minus-1 yard. He caught eight passes for 86 yards in this two-year Chiefs career.
O’Shaughnessy’s rookie season in 2015 was cut short by a broken foot.
The trade has a marginal effect on the team’s cap situation. O’Shaughnessy’s contract carries $83,126 in dead money that will hit this year’s cap. The current NFLPA salary cap report shows the Chiefs with available space of $3,015,407.
The move leaves the Chiefs with four tight ends on the roster. Starter Travis Kelce underwent offseason shoulder surgery, which may limit him during offseason training. The other tight ends include Demetrius Harris, Ross Travis and free agent acquisition Gavin Escobar.
Harris was arrested last month for felony possession of marijuana and possession of paraphernalia.
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Matt Derrick is the lead beat writer for ChiefsDigest.com. Use the contact page to reach him or find him on Twitter: @MattDerrick.
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