Texans Promote Ex-Chiefs Cut on Eve of Week 16 Matchup: Report

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Former Kansas City Chiefs tight end Irv Smith Jr. was signed to the Houston Texans' active roster ahead of their Week 16 matchup.

It looks like a former Kansas City Chiefs training camp cut will be suiting up for the Houston Texans in Week 16.

According to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, “[the] Texans are signing TE Irv Smith to their active roster [on December 20] ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Kansas City.”

With rookie tight end Cade Stover ruled out after an emergency appendectomy last weekend, this roster promotion makes sense for two reasons.

One, Smith gives the Texans more depth at tight end behind starter Dalton Schultz. And two, it sets Smith up for a little opportunity at revenge.

The Chiefs released Smith at the 53-man roster cutdown in August. He had been competing with players like Noah Gray and rookie Jared Wiley for a role within the KC tight end room.

Kansas City also toyed with the idea of keeping Smith as a fourth tight end but eventually elected to replace him via a last-minute trade with Dallas Cowboys for Peyton Hendershot.

While Smith faced an uphill battle to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster in the first place, the Hendershot deal proved that KC had enough space for the veteran but instead decided to go in a different direction.

Chiefs Could Potentially Use Irv Smith Jr. With All Their 2024 Injuries at Tight End

Ironically, the Chiefs could actually use Smith now more than ever. The majority of the tight end room has been decimated by injuries this season, leaving just Gray and superstar Travis Kelce on the active roster.

Kansas City has actually elevated one of veteran Anthony Firkser or undrafted rookie Baylor Cupp from the practice squad in each of the past three weeks to account for their lack of depth at the position.

Having said that, if the Chiefs really wanted Smith back, they could have attempted to poach him off the Texans’ practice squad in recent weeks — before his recent promotion to the active roster.

Houston has called upon Smith twice in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus. His first appearance came in Week 13, but he was also elevated last weekend against the Miami Dolphins.

Smith has been deployed on 40 offensive snaps for the Texans, along with another 9 snaps on special teams. PFF has graded his overall offensive impact as a 49.2 in 2024, with zero catches and a 53.1 mark as a run blocker.

Chiefs WR Hollywood Brown Set to Debut in Week 16

As anticipated, the Chiefs officially activated wide receiver Hollywood Brown on December 20, just before the Week 16 outing against the Texans. NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport reported the news just after 4 p.m. (CST), but FOX Sports NFL insider Jordan Schultz actually broke the story earlier in the afternoon.

Brown will join quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the field for the first time since KC’s initial preseason outing, and both have obviously had to overcome injuries to get to this point.

For Mahomes, it took a lightning-fast recovery from a high ankle sprain, while Brown’s comeback has been a much slower grind.

Although Mahomes and Brown are both “in” on Saturday, left tackle D.J. Humphries (hamstring) and versatile defensive back Chamarri Conner (concussion) were both ruled “out” on December 19. This wasn’t really much of a surprise, as both players didn’t practice at all throughout the week.

Finally, linebacker Leo Chenal was a late addition to the Chiefs’ injury report on December 20. He is now considered “questionable” to play with an “illness.”