The Chiefs kept four tight ends on their initial 53-man roster, but Irv Smith Jr. wasn’t one of them.
Smith was released as the Chiefs made a flurry of roster moves ahead of Tuesday’s deadline. They also traded for former Cowboy Peyton Hendershot, who joins Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, and Jared Wiley in the position group.
Smith, who was a 2019 Vikings second-round pick, signed with the Chiefs this offseason.
Former rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit also failed to make the cut. If he clears waivers, he will have a roster exemption on the practice squad as an international player if the Chiefs want to bring him back.
Wide receiver Nikko Remigio, who special teams coordinator Dave Toub said he’d pound the table for, was waived along with Rees-Zammit.
The Chiefs also waived or released running back Emani Bailey, linebacker Swayze Bozeman, tight end Baylor Cupp, defensive tackle Neil Farrell, tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick, cornerback Kamal Hadden, running back Keaontay Ingram, linebacker Curtis Jacobs, defensive end Truman Jones, defensive tackle Fabien Lovett, cornerback D.J. Miller, tackle Lucan Niang, quarterback Chris Oladokun, wide receiver Cornell Powell, running back Deneric Prince, wide receiver Justyn Ross, cornerback Keith Taylor, wide receiver Kadarius Toney, wide receiver Montrell Washington, safety Deon Bush, linebacker Cole Christiansen, defensive tackle Matt Dickerson, and defensive back Tyrie Gillespie.