Chiefs tight end primed for another standout preseason
The preseason is rapidly approaching for the Kansas City Chiefs and one second-year tight end is poised to pick up right where he left off last season. Matt Bushman entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of BYU in 2021, joining the Las Vegas Raiders for his first year in the league. After appearing […]
The preseason is rapidly approaching for the Kansas City Chiefs and one second-year tight end is poised to pick up right where he left off last season.
Matt Bushman entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of BYU in 2021, joining the Las Vegas Raiders for his first year in the league. After appearing in two games with the Raiders that season as a member of their practice squad, Bushman was released late in the season and landed on the Chiefs' practice squad briefly before signing a reserve/future deal a month later.
Fans who followed the preseason in 2022 might recall Bushman's standout performance against the Green Bay Packers. He helped lift the team to a win over the NFC North squad with three catches of 73 yards and two grabs on the day.
Unfortunately, Bushman left that game with a fractured clavicle. The Chiefs would waive him with an injury designation and they eventually reached an injury settlement with Bushman. He later re-signed to the Chiefs' practice squad in December after he was fully healthy from the injury.
Had Bushman not been injured during that game, he would have made some roster decisions even tougher for the Kansas City personnel department. He might have even made the team on the back of that game alone.
During the course of the team's 2023 offseason program, Bushman has taken full advantage of his opportunities to remind the team's evaluators of his past success.
He has quickly ascended the ranks in the tight end room, earning opportunities with the first-team offense due to stellar play with the other units.
At 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, he's a big target in the red zone and across the middle of the field. Of the tight ends in Kansas City not named Travis Kelce, Bushman might have the surest of hands on the team, catching almost everything that comes his way. He's also a player that has the flexibility to play in-line, in the slot, and out wide.
One team source described Bushman as, "a true understudy to Travis Kelce." While the Chiefs have found plenty of complementary pieces at the tight end position, they've failed to find the type who can truly be a successor to future Hall of Fame tight end.
Could Bushman actually be that guy?
He'll have ample opportunity to prove himself again during the preseason. Jody Fortson remains sidelined by a shoulder injury and Kelce is unlikely to get a full slate of work during the preseason. Don't be shocked to see an outsized helping of Bushman during the preseason and plenty of plays made to go along with it.
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Featured image via Denny Medley – USA TODAY Sports.
