KC Chiefs release safety Tedric Thompson to make room for Marcus Kemp

The Chiefs are clearing a roster spot by releasing safety Tedric Thompson.

The Kansas City Chiefs have decided to release safety Tedric Thompson, according to NFL reporter Tom Pelissero. The goal is to find a roster spot for wide receiver Marcus Kemp.

The Chiefs first signed Thompson in late July and it was clear they valued his skill set from the beginning. Despite being a late addition in early training camp, Thompson earned immediately playing time for the Chiefs as a trusted defensive back in sub packages and played as many as 36 percent of the defensive snaps in both Week 1 and Week 3. However, Thompson’s dropped precipitously after Week 4 to the point that he was solely special teams for the next few weeks.

Thompson was the fourth round pick of the Seattle Seahawks back in the 2017 NFL Draft and played his first three NFL seasons there. Thompson is still only 25-years-old and should have an easy time of it finding a new job—at least as a rotational pass defender and special teams player, the same role he filled in for K.C.

Kemp is being elevated to the active roster after Byron Pringle was lost to injured reserve following an ankle injury suffered in Week 12 against the Las Vegas Raiders. This is Kemp’s fourth season with the Chiefs, although he was lost all of last season due to injury himself. He originally signed as an undrafted free agent out of Hawaii back in 2017.

Thompson had 13 total tackles in 8 games for the Chiefs.