The Kansas City Chiefs are getting some help on the offensive side of the ball just ahead of their Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. 

The Chiefs announced on Tuesday that they had officially activated TE Peyton Hendershot from the Reserve/Injured list. They had designated him to return to practice just this week as they faced a bit of a roster crunch at the tight end position. They’d been elevating either Baylor Cupp or Anthony Firkser from the practice squad in recent weeks, but with Cupp dealing with injury and Firkser now out of elevations, the Chiefs had to find a solution at the No. 3 tight end spot. 

Part of that solution was signing Robert Tonyan to the practice squad, but the other part was activating Hendershot. He’d been on injured reserve since suffering a calf injury in Week 12 against the Carolina Panthers. When the team got home from that away game, they got imaging done on his calf and decided to place him on IR. 

Before his injury, Hendershot had built up some great chemistry with Patrick Mahomes as the team’s No. 3 tight end. He’s caught all three receptions on three targets for 26 yards in four games played this season. It’s not a lot, but it’s certainly a positive for a player who isn’t on the field often. He had this really impressive catch in traffic near the goal line in the team’s Week 11 game against the Buffalo Bills. He worked back to the football on a scramble drill to make a really nice catch. 

If Hendershot can pick up where he left off, he’ll have an opportunity to make some serious contributions on offense and special teams in the final few weeks of the regular season and the NFL postseason. The Chiefs like to use 12 and 13-personnel at some of the highest rates in the NFL, so having a reliable No. 3 tight end is actually quite important. He could even come into play in Week 17 against the Steelers, as they’ve allowed the eighth most receptions to tight ends this season (83). 

Chiefs elevate two practice squad players for Week 17

In addition to the move to activate Hendershot, the Chiefs announced they have elevated LB Swayze Bozeman and S Deon Bush from the practice squad. These moves are primarily for special teams and depth purposes, given the loss of Jack Cochrane (ankle fracture). Cochrane heading to injured reserve means that the team lost their special teams snaps leader (297). They’ll need to make practice squad elevations to help carry the load on special teams.