Chiefs release Kyle Love; re-sign Jerrell Powe

The Chiefs released defensive tackle Kyle Love on Tuesday and brought back two-year veteran defensive lineman Jerrell Powe.

Powe, 6 feet 2 and 331 pounds, originally joined the Chiefs as a sixth-round draft pick from Mississippi in 2011. He appeared in 10 games with the Chiefs and was released Sept. 1.

Love, who had appeared in 42 games with New England during 2010-12, joined the Chiefs last month and appeared in the game against San Diego on Nov. 24. He was inactive for last week’s loss to Denver.

The Chiefs also re-signed former Kansas fullback Toben Opurum to the practice squad. Opurum spent the first 10 weeks on the practice squad before he was released Nov. 20. Opurum takes the place on the practice squad vacated by linebacker Josh Martin, who was elevated to the 53-man roster last week.

Although things did not work out for A.J. Jenkins in San Francisco, the second-year receiver and former first-round pick hasn’t come close to badmouthing his former organization for trading him.

But Jenkins would be lying if he said the playing time he’s been getting this year hasn’t been good. Though he’s still a reserve for the Chiefs, he has played 12 games compared to just three as a rookie. And he’s coming off possibly his best game as a pro, as he caught three passes for 35 yards Sunday against Denver.

“(It’s nice) just going out there, feeling like you’re part of the team,” Jenkins said. “Being a competitor, you want to be out there.”

Jenkins had a few rocky moments on Sunday. The biggest, of course, was the deep ball he dropped in the third quarter. But he converted a crucial third-and-14 in the fourth quarter by leaping high and hauling in a 26-yard catch.

“I just reacted,” Jenkins said. “I saw the ball in the air, I knew it was third down … I just tried to make a play.”

Jenkins said the catch gave him confidence the rest of the game.

“That’s with anybody,” Jenkins said. “You feel like you’re getting back in the swing, getting that rhythm back. So making that catch, I didn’t even think of it personally. It was ‘this team needs a first down and he’s throwing me the ball so I had to make a play.”

This story was originally published December 3, 2013 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Chiefs release Kyle Love; re-sign Jerrell Powe ."