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It was a brief stay for veteran tight end John Phillips in Kansas City.
Eight days after signing him, the Chiefs cut Phillips on Tuesday, according to the NFL’s official transaction report.
The #Chiefs have cut TE John Phillips, according to the NFL’s official transacation report. Phillips’ stay with the #Chiefs lasts eight days. KC’s 90-man at 88.
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) May 28, 2019
The 31-year-old Phillips bounced around the league for the past decade before getting an opportunity in Kansas City. The Chiefs also waived quarterback TJ Linta with an injury settlement earlier in the day.
As Brooke Pryor of The Kansas City Star noted on Twitter, neither Phillips nor Linta were present at the team’s open media session last Thursday. OTAs are considered voluntary, but their absence was apparently a sign of things to come.
The Chiefs moving on from Phillips means that they go back to five tight ends on the current roster: Travis Kelce, Blake Bell, Deon Yelder, David Wells and John Lovett.
The Chiefs reported interest in veteran Benjamin Watson (who ultimately signed with the New England Patriots before he was suspended four games by the league) paired with briefly bringing Phillips aboard makes me think they still aren’t satisfied with the players they have at the position. I would expect additional moves to happen at tight end before training camp.
The two Wednesday moves leave two vacant spots on the Chiefs’ 90-man roster. The next open OTAs media session is scheduled for Thursday.