Tag: Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Top quotes from Chiefs’ August 19 postgame press conference

Check out all the top quotes from the #Chiefs’ August 19 postgame press conference after Kansas City’s win against the #Cardinals:

After earning their first win of the 2023 preseason on Saturday the Kansas City Chiefs will return to Missouri to face the Cleveland Browns on Saturday, August 26. Their victory over the Arizona Cardinals was a reminder of just how capable Kansas City is, even in exhibition matchups.

Andy Reid and several of the Chiefs’ players spoke to reporters after Saturday’s tilt to give the media valuable insight regarding their performance, expectations for the new season, and teammates ahead of the 2023 regular season.

Check out their top quotes below:

Chiefs WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette talks preseason touchdown catch

Ihmir Smith-Marsette talked about his touchdown catch during the #Chiefs postgame press conference on Saturday.

The Kansas City Chiefs may not have a so-called “superstar” on their receiving squad (yet), but they might have one of the deepest WR corps during the Patrick Mahomes era.

While the top six or seven-ish receivers are likely locked in, there’s still some high-quality competition on the back end of the WR depth chart. Among those competing at a high level is third-year wideout Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who finished Saturday’s win over the Arizona Cardinals with four catches, 92 yards, and a touchdown.

59 of Smith-Marsette’s 92 yards came on a touchdown drive led by Chiefs backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert. Smith-Marsette earned his touchdown the hard way on that drive, getting open on a short route and breaking a tackle on his way for six:

After the game, Smith-Marsette noted that it was all instincts that led him to the score.

“I just heard the play call,” he said. “The corner was outside leverage. I just used one of my little tricks that I work on when I’m running that route. It worked. The deep safety was just too far inside and there was no way he was going to get to it and (Chiefs quarterback) Blaine (Gabbert) put a great ball in the air and all I had to do was just finish it and make the catch.”

Due to the talent on the Chiefs’ WR squad, there probably isn’t much room for Smith-Marsette on the 53-man roster. But following an impressive outing combined with his special teams skills, it seems likely that Smith-Marsette will be scouted by other NFL teams come cut day. And, unfortunately for the Chiefs, they may not be able to sneak him onto the practice squad.

Twitter reacts to Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s standout performance vs. Cardinals

Ihmir Smith-Marsette’s standout performance in the #Chiefs’ win over the #Cardinals had social media talking on Saturday night.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette has been an underrated asset for the Kansas City Chiefs during training camp and the preseason. He balled out against the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night, ending the game as Kansas City’s second-leading receiver in receiving yards to help lead the Chiefs to their first exhibition win of the 2023 season.

Smith-Marsette is a Super Bowl champion despite being an unheralded member of Kansas City’s 2022 roster and has turned heads with his abilities in the kick return game and as a consistent presence on offense. He recorded four receptions for 92 yards and a touchdown against the Cardinals and may have played himself into a spot on the Chiefs’ 53-man roster with his outstanding effort on Saturday night.

Twitter reacted to his standout performance during the game and seemed excited to see his talent on full display against the Cardinals.

Check out the best reactions from social media below:

WATCH: Chiefs QB Blaine Gabbert, Ihmir Smith-Marsette link up for touchdown

#Chiefs QB Blaine Gabbert found Ihmir Smith-Marsette twice on Kansas City’s first drive of the second half against the #Cardinals.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Blaine Gabbert wasted no time in his second-half debut against the Arizona Cardinals after finding receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette for a long gain midway through the third quarter.

The play game after a long drive by the Cardinals brought Arizona within seven points of tying the game. Gabbert targeted Smith-Marsette deep downfield and uncorked an impressive pass that landed right in the receiver’s breadbasket.

The 44-yard gain would set up a touchdown connection by the duo later in the drive when Gabbert found Smith-Marsette in the red zone.

Kansas City went up by 14 points after the score and is in control of this matchup heading into the final minutes of the third quarter. Smith-Marsette’s involvement in the second half has been a breath of fresh air for the Chiefs’ offense, which needed a rebound after the disappointing finish to its preseason Week 1 exhibition against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday.

WATCH: Chiefs WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette makes incredible catch at training camp practice

#Chiefs wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette came down with a great catch during Kansas City’s 1-on-1 drills at training camp on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs have a logjam at the wide receiver position with several players who have made their case for consideration to make the team’s 53-man roster.

Ihmir Smith-Marsette was the latest Chief to make a highlight play at Kansas City’s training camp practice on Tuesday when he came down with an incredible touchdown catch against Dicaprio Bootle in 1-on-1 drills.

The Chiefs posted a video of the grab to their Snapchat, which was later shared by the All Chief’d Up podcast on Twitter.

Plays like this will certainly help make Smith-Marsette’s case to make Kansas City’s final roster in September as the Chiefs coaching staff assesses their available talent ahead of the team’s title defense campaign.

Keep your eye on Smith-Marsette during Kansas City’s first preseason game on Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. If he can come down with a few catches in key situations, he may warrant more looks as a potential fringe player on the Chiefs roster as the regular season draws closer.

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Patrick Mahomes mediates melee at Chiefs’ Sunday practice

Patrick Mahomes had to mediate a second melee at Chiefs practice on Sunday after Travis Kelce punched a teammate earlier in the weekend.

The Kansas City Chiefs are fired up at training camp in St. Joseph, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes had to step in during the latest melee at practice on Sunday.

After tight end Travis Kelce punched linebacker Jack Cochrane on Saturday, another scrum between second-year cornerback Jaylen Watson and third-year receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette broke out during Sunday’s workouts.

Some extracurricular activity following what appeared to be a routine play caused Smith-Marsette to take exception to Watson’s behavior, and Mahomes had to get between the two to break up the brewing fight.

Video of the incident was posted by FOX4 KC’s Harold Kuntz after an initial report about the occurrence was made by PJ Green, who also works for the local Fox affiliate.

Andy Reid is sure to get involved in the coming days to ensure that Kansas City’s roster doesn’t take a step back in its cohesion ahead of the 2023 season.

Perhaps the heat in St. Joseph is driving Chiefs players to fisticuffs, but fights like these can’t continue if Kansas City intends to bring home a Super Bowl LVIII title next season.

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These 6 Chiefs could play their way onto the 53-man roster

Our @goldmctNFL takes a look at some #Chiefs who could play their way onto the 53-man roster during training camp and the preseason.

Every year there seem to be a few players who sneak onto the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster after strong performances during training camp and the preseason.

Last season, Brett Veach indicated that four players managed to play their way onto the 53-man roster. Which players could be in line to have similar types of performances in the coming weeks and play their way onto the initial 53-man roster for the 2023 NFL season?

We’ll take a look at a few key candidates down below:

12 former Vikings account for 9th-most dead salary cap space

After moving on from multiple players the last two seasons, the Minnesota Vikings have $31,534,662 in dead cap space.

Maneuvering the salary cap is a difficult exercise. A financial version of Tetris, it required massive amounts of planning and structuring contracts in a way to maximize the puzzle that is conducive to flexibility.

The Minnesota Vikings are currently trying to get back to a great spot with the salary cap as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah tries to clean up the mistakes made by his predecessor Rick Spielman.

According to Over The Cap, the Vikings have the 9th-most dead salary cap space with $31,534,662 counting toward the 2023 salary cap split between 12 players.

WATCH: Patrick Mahomes throws dime to Chiefs WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette

Patrick Mahomes shared a clip of an impressive throw to second-year #Chiefs WR Ihmir Smith-Marsette as they continue to work in Texas.

Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes continues to work with pass-catchers down in Texas ahead of the start of the offseason workout program.

He’s been joined by players like Jody Fortson, Justyn Ross, Skyy Moore and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Mahomes took to Twitter to highlight a pass he threw to one specific second-year Chiefs wide receiver who might not be getting enough love from the fanbase this offseason.

Mahomes uncorked a beautiful deep pass to Ihmir Smith-Marsette, who spent the majority of the 2022 NFL season on Kansas City’s practice squad. The former fifth-round pick by the Chicago Bears was added to the practice squad in late October. He was elevated to the 53-man roster in Week 14 and Week 18 when the Chiefs were dealing with injuries at the wide receiver position. Smith-Marsette played 12 snaps on offense during those games, but he was never targeted.

As a midseason addition and practice squad player, Smith-Marsette didn’t get many opportunities to catch passes from Mahomes. With an opportunity to carve out a bigger role for himself with the Chiefs this offseason, he’s taking full advantage by getting some work in with Mahomes down in Texas. It appears to be paying off in the form of highlight-reel plays with him catching what appears to be a 70-plus-yard moonshot from Mahomes.

His response to Mahomes sharing the clip was perfect:

As the wide receiver situation sorts itself in Kansas City this offseason, perhaps Smith-Marsette is someone who could surprise as we progress through the offseason workout program and into training camp.

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Chiefs announce flurry of roster moves ahead of AFC Championship Game

The #Chiefs have activated TE Jody Fortson to the 53-man roster, elevated two players from the practice squad and made two more practice squad transactions.

The Kansas City Chiefs have announced several roster moves ahead of the AFC Championship Game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

With an open roster spot following the release of Chris Lammons earlier this week, the Chiefs have activated TE Jody Fortson to the 53-man roster from the team’s injured reserve list. This was a move that Andy Reid had been foreshadowing all week and a welcomed return ahead of the AFC title game.

It wasn’t the only move the team made to add to their roster ahead of the big game on Sunday. The Chiefs also made a pair of practice squad elevations and two more practice squad transactions.

The Chiefs elevated two receivers from the practice squad for the game. This doesn’t necessarily mean both players will be active as we learned last week. They elevated Marcus Kemp and Austin Reiter for the AFC divisional round and neither played. This time around Kemp and Ihmir Smith-Marsette got the call-up to the active roster. Kemp has a greater chance of playing this week given his experience on special teams in the role vacated by Lammons.

In terms of the moves made that won’t impact the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs have again released WR/RB Jerrion Ealy from the practice squad. He’s approaching C.J. Spiller levels of replaceability at this point.

In a corresponding move, the Chiefs added RB La’Mical Perine to the practice squad. Perine’s older cousin, Samaje Perine, plays for the Bengals. Chiefs fans will remember Samaje well from the Week 13 matchup where he had a big day against Kansas City. La’Mical was drafted by the Jets in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL draft out of the University of Florida. He’s spent time in New York, Philly and most recently Miami.

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