Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Matt Bushman.
The Kansas City Chiefs re-signed tight end Matt Bushman to their practice squad, according to the NFL’s transaction wire on December 20. There was room on the practice squad because on the same day the Chicago Bears signed veteran linebacker Elijah Lee from Kansas City’s practice squad to their 53-player roster.
With the Chicago Bears signing LB Elijah Lee from the Chiefs practice squad, the Chiefs have brought back TE Matt Bushman to the practice squad.
As a former BYU product, Bushman entered the NFL as an undrafted rookie in 2021. Bushman, 26, had his first stint in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders. After playing with the Chiefs’ division rivals over the summer, Bushman was cut and then added to Las Vegas’ practice squad at the transition of the 2021 preseason to the regular season.
Bushman remained in Las Vegas for the majority of the 2021 season and was active for the Raiders’ games in Weeks 7 and 13. In Week 7, he played 11 total offensive snaps, and in Week 13 he didn’t see the field, per Pro Football Reference.
The Raiders released Bushman from the practice squad on December 23. Kansas City then signed Bushman to its practice squad on January 4.
Bushman a Standout Performer in Preseason
With four tight ends ahead of him on the depth chart (Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Noah Gray, and Jody Fortson), Bushman remained relatively quiet during the preseason until he burst onto the scene in the Chiefs’ preseason finale on August 25.
Against the Green Bay Packers, Bushman caught 3 passes for 73 yards and 2 touchdowns. His biggest play in that game came on a 54-yard touchdown catch-and-run in which Bushman was wide open on a pass from quarterback Shane Buechele.
TE Matt Bushman catches the pass in busted coverage for a 54-yard TD. PAT is good.
Unfortunately, Bushman also suffered a broken clavicle in that game, which is why he was placed on injured reserve soon after. On September 7, the Chiefs released Bushman from injured reserve with an injury settlement.
Bushman re-joins Kansas City in Week 16 amid some injury concerns at tight end.
Lee Provided LB & Special Teams Depth for KC
Lee, 26, signed a one-year deal with Kansas City on March 22. As a five-year NFL veteran entering the 2022 season, Lee had played in 66 career games with a total of 3 teams (San Francisco 49ers, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns) before joining the Chiefs. Most of his work on the field in the NFL has been on special teams.
After the preseason, Lee remained in Kansas City by way of the practice squad. He was elevated to the Chiefs’ game day roster on five separate occasions during the regular season, per Pro Football Reference. The Chiefs were able to elevate him more than the league-mandated three times because they released him on September 27, which gave them three more elevations after that before they were required to sign him officially to the 53-player roster.
With Lee no longer on the practice squad, the only linebacker Kansas City has on its practice squad now is Cole Christiansen.
Twitter Reacts to KC’s Transactions
Twitter users reacted to Kansas City’s transactions on Tuesday, December 20.
“Matt Bushman looked good in preseason. Andy loves him some TEs,” one Twitter user wrote.
“Forgot about him. More of a receiver at the position, which fills the hole that Fortson had. Curious if he or Blanton would get PT first. Kelce, Gray, Bell, and one of Blanton/Bushman. We could see the 4TE set again,” another user wrote.
@goldmctNFL @37JoeDelaney @TheChiefsWire Forgot about him. More of a receiver at the position, which fills the hole that Fortson had. Curious if he or Blanton would get PT first. Kelce, Gray, Bell, and one of Blanton/Bushman. We could see the 4TE set again.
“Good for him but I’d of much rather had Elijah on active roster then Darius Harris,” another user wrote.