Who Should I Start? Irv Smith Jr. or Stephen Carlson

Tuesday, August 27, 3:24 PM

The Kansas City Chiefs released former second-round tight end Irv Smith Jr. on Tuesday as they continue to cut their roster down ahead of the 2024 regular season. Smith will now be looking for a new team with less than two weeks before Week 1 kicks off. The 26-year-old was taken 50th overall by the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 out of Alabama and has been a bust through his first four seasons, with last year coming with the Cincinnati Bengals. In his four NFL campaigns, Smith has caught 109 of his 152 targets for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns in 49 games played (21 starts). Injuries have gotten in the way, but he also just hasn't performed up to expectations. Behind All-Pro Travis Kelce, the Chiefs will head into the regular season with Noah Gray and rookie Jared Wiley providing them with depth at the position.

Tuesday, August 29, 11:19 PM

The Chicago Bears cut tight end Stephen Carlson on Tuesday to trim their roster down to 53 players, according to a source. Carlson will likely be back on the practice squad if he clears waivers. Chicago will open the 2023 regular season with Cole Kmet atop the tight end depth chart, followed by Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis. Carlson had a strong training camp this summer and caught five passes for 47 yards in preseason action. The former undrafted free agent out of Princeton hasn't seen any NFL action since 2020. In his two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, he caught six of nine targets for 62 yards and a touchdown in 25 games (seven starts).