Chiefs make roster move to fill wide receiver spot ahead of game at Tampa Bay
The Chiefs adjusted the roster a day ahead of Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Chiefs released veteran safety Tedric Thompson and are elevating wide receiver Marcus Kemp from the practice squad to the active 53-player roster, sources confirmed Saturday morning with The Kansas City Star.
Kemp fills a need at the fifth wide receiver spot in the wake of the Chiefs placing Byron Pringle (ankle) on injured reserve earlier in the week. Pringle suffered the injury in Week 11.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said earlier in the week the team was comfortable with their internal options to replace Pringle, and Kemp is officially the next man up.
The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Kemp has appeared in seven games this season, totaling 24 offensive snaps and 105 snaps on special teams, with the latter an area where he will likely be counted on the most to continue contributing.
Kemp joins wide receivers Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Demarcus Robinson and Mecole Hardman on the active roster.
Thompson’s release doesn’t come as a big surprise, especially when considering he was a healthy inactive for two straight games leading to Saturday morning’s move.
The Chiefs originally signed Thompson to a free-agent deal during the summer and he provided depth on the back end of coverage. He appeared in eight games while serving in a rotation role, totaling 13 tackles, and contributed on 93 defensive snaps and 43 special teams snaps.
The NFL Network first reported the release of Thompson.
This story was originally published November 28, 2020 at 11:03 AM.
