Irv Smith Jr., a former tight end with the Chiefs, is allegedly close to signing a new contract. He worked out with the New England Patriots on Friday before the start of the NFL season.
With Cincinnati getting ready to visit Kansas City in Week 2, the Patriots’ season got off to a fantastic start with a road victory against the “vaunted” Bengals. Smith Jr. might be a vital addition to a passing game that could use some extra juice.
Though it’s uncertain if Smith Jr. will sign with Jerod Mayo’s team, he’s definitely one step closer to rejoining an NFL team.
Irv Smith Jr., Former Chiefs TE, Signs With Patriots
#Patriots worked out Zaire Mitchell-Paden and Irv Smith
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) September 9, 2024
Smith Jr., who is about to start his fourth season in the NFL, has made a name for himself as a potent pass-catcher with excellent blocking abilities.
With 10 touchdowns in his career, he has averaged 8.9 yards per reception, and New England’s receivers are arguably the worst in the NFL. Their tight ends don’t give much promise, and even though Jacoby Brissett won, he performed horribly most of the time.
While Smith Jr. is not the only newly released Chief getting workouts, it appears that he has the best chance of finding employment soon. Standing at six feet two and 240 pounds, he is a dynamic player who has the potential to improve the Patriots offense.
The Chiefs aren’t worried about where Smith Jr. will end up in the future, especially now that they have signed Noah Gray to a deal and selected Jared Wiley. It appears he may have found that opportunity with a once-great organization. He deserves to find another opportunity in the league.
Three Kansas City Chiefs Who Won’t Make It Through the Season.
The “final” 53-man rosters around the NFL are anything but final, as you may have realized by now. All 32 teams have already made numerous changes to their lineups, and this process will continue throughout the season even though clubs were required to submit a definitive version of their rosters more than a week ago.
The Kansas City Chiefs are in the running for a third consecutive Super Bowl, so their 53-man roster situation will be rather dynamic. Guys who made the original 53-man roster may eventually find themselves off the roster before the season is out because they will do all it takes to make improvements throughout the season.
Which Kansas City players might not make it through this season?
1. Running back, Clyde Edwards-Helaire
We haven’t seen Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a former LSU standout, perform at a caliber that justifies his first-round NFL Draft credentials since his rookie season. Prior to the 2020 NFL Draft, Edwards-Helaire appeared to be the Chiefs’ ideal fit both on paper and on the field during his rookie campaign.
Whatever the cause, he hasn’t been able to produce consistently enough to be the Chiefs’ true number one back, or even a viable number two.
Carson Steele, who we all saw during the exhibition games, appears to be in line for a respectable amount of touches this season. The Chiefs saw the emergence of Steele throughout the preseason. The Chiefs also signed veteran running back Samaje Perine, who was waived by the Denver Broncos, following roster cuts.
Edwards-Helaire will miss the first four weeks of the season after being added to the NFI (Non-Football Illness) list. Because of a horrible event, Edwards-Helaire is experiencing PTSD, and you can understandably hope that the Chiefs and the NFL will support him during this difficult time. In terms of football, it wouldn’t be shocking if Edwards-Helaire’s time with the Chiefs is over.
2. Skyy Moore, Broadcaster
The wide receiver position is one of the position groupings that the Kansas City Chiefs may have some movement in during the season. During their summer program and training camp, the Chiefs had to sift through a rather large group of guys, and they have already made some really harsh cuts.
The Chiefs jettisoned former first-round pick and trade acquisition Kadarius Toney (who is still a free agent), yet Chiefs supporters aren’t exactly sad to see him depart. Two standout players from the training camp, Justyn Ross and Nikko Remigio, were cut before being added back to the practice squad.
After being cut by the New England Patriots, they signed JuJu Smith-Schuster, who took Skyy Moore’s place on the depth chart right away.
It’s unlikely that Moore will be cut or traded very soon because Marquise Brown had a shoulder injury to open the season, but it wouldn’t be remarkable in the slightest if the Chiefs released Moore once their receiver group recovered. At the end of the preseason, he had the impression that he was on the roster bubble and that he was fortunate to have made it at all.
Moore may not even make it onto the 53-man roster if the Chiefs perceive that he is having trouble early in the season. Players with punt return expertise, such as Remigio and Montrell Washington, may be considered to take Moore’s spot on the practice squad.
3. EDGE’s Felix Anudike-Uzomah
Though he has only been in the league since 2023, there are a lot of indications there that the Chiefs may give up on Felix Anudike-Uzomah, a previous first-round choice.
The Chiefs are led by former first-round selection George Karlaftis, who is already an established figure. This previous summer, they also re-signed Mike Danna, offering him a three-year contract worth a total of $24 million.
That’s no little change for Danna, who may be expected to contribute significantly to the Chiefs in the future. Charles Omenihu is also under contract with the Chiefs, despite beginning the season on the PUP list.
The Chiefs’ move to acquire Cameron Thomas from the Cardinals during roster cuts may be the clearest indication yet that Anudike-Uzomah isn’t performing up to par. The Chiefs definitely snatched Thomas away from the Cardinals, believing they could get more out of him than Arizona could, even if they only paid a 7th-round pick for him.
Even though the Cardinals selected him late in the third round, he was still rated in the top 100. Since Anudike-Uzomah was selected in the first round, the Chiefs may be able to trade him to a player who also had a strong pre-draft rating if they are happy with the rest of their edge group.
It’s possible that he won’t get the snaps necessary to succeed in Kansas City because of the current circumstances. It appears that the former Kansas State star has lost favor and may be traded at some point in the future unless he shows up in a rotating position early in the season.
