Chiefs send newly-acquired tight end back to waivers after first active game

It was only a few weeks ago that the Kansas City Chiefs liked the idea of adding a young blocking tight end to the roster and reached an agreement with the Dallas Cowboys on a minor trade that brought Peyton Hendershot into the team's fold. Hendershot was traded for a conditional seventh-round draft choice in the 2026 NFL Draft.

On Monday, the Chiefs decided to release Hendershot from the roster after activating him for a single game.

Hendershot was active for the first time this season in the Chiefs' win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 after spending Week 1 as a healthy scratch. In that first game, Hendershot still made headlines by defending Patrick Mahomes with a shove of Roquan Smith, who'd hit Mahomes out of bounds. Apparently that wasn't enough to keep him in K.C.

The Kansas City Chiefs have created another open spot on the active roster with the release of Peyton Hendershot.

It's entirely possible that Hendershot returns to the team on the practice squad, but for the next 24 hours, both player and team will have to wait and see if any other franchise shows an interest and claims him away from the Chiefs. Kansas City already has Baylor Cupp as a young tight end on the practice squad.

The release of Hendershot, who first joined the Dallas Cowboys as a rookie free agent back in 2022 out of Indiana, leaves Kansas City with a trio of Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Jared Wiley at the tight end position going forward.