Chiefs To Send Carlos Hyde To Texans
The Texans will have an experienced running back headed their way. The Chiefs reached an agreement to trade Carlos Hyde to the Texans in exchange for offensive lineman Martinas Rankin, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Houston will address the league’s thinnest backfield position, adding a seasoned starter to its mix. The Texans were looking for running back help on the trade market, and they found it in the form of a player the Chiefs were set to release. The Chiefs signed Hyde earlier this offseason, but he was likely set to miss their 53-man roster.
Hyde spent 2018 with the Browns and Jaguars, being traded midseason. He initially signed a multiyear deal with the Browns, but the Jaguars released him after last season. The Chiefs added Hyde but will go with younger backs Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson behind holdover starter Damien Williams.
A former 49ers second-round pick, Hyde posted back-to-back 900-plus-yard seasons in 2016 and ’17. He totaled 1,288 yards from scrimmage for the ’17 49ers, scoring eight touchdowns. The 28-year-old back will join Duke Johnson in Houston.
Rankin was a 2018 third-round pick who made four starts with Houston last season. He will be set for a depth role in Kansas City.
Chiefs Trade CB Mark Fields To Vikings
Mark Fields is heading to Minnesota. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the cornerback has been traded by the Chiefs to the Vikings. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin tweets that Kansas City has received a 2021 seventh-rounder.
The undrafted free agent cornerback considered signing with Minnesota after the draft, tweets Cronin. The Vikings had been seeking some extra depth at outside and slot cornerback, and Fields possesses the flexibility to fill in at either spot.
For the Chiefs, the team had relatively high hopes for the cornerback following a productive training camp. However, Fields struggled on game day, and he had three penalties (two pass interference and a face mark) during Kansas City’s preseason finale.
Colts, Texans, Browns Lead NFL In Cap Space
On Tuesday morning, the NFL released a report of every team’s cap space. The total number accounts for the top-51 cap numbers on every team’s roster. Therefore, these numbers will naturally change before next week as teams set their 53-man rosters (although the 52nd- and 53rd-ranked cap numbers (and beyond) for each team will hardly change anything).
It’s also worth noting that there have been a handful of extensions, trades, signings, and cuts since this report was released. However, there weren’t any significant moves that would drastically alter these rankings.
Why are these numbers important at this time of year? Well, rosters will be trimmed on Saturday, meaning an influx of players will hit the open market. While we can’t imagine any roster casualties earning a lucrative contract from a new team, these numbers can help illustrate the monetary advantage one organization has over another. These numbers are also useful in regards to any potential trades or extensions.
With help from TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer on Twitter, we’ve listed the league’s cap space totals (as of Tuesday morning) below:
- Indianapolis Colts: $56.6MM
- Houston Texans: $37.0MM
- Cleveland Browns: $34.6MM
- Dallas Cowboys: $26.1MM
- Tennessee Titans: $26.0MM
- San Francisco 49ers: $25.5MM
- Buffalo Bills: $23.3MM
- Miami Dolphins: $22.1MM
- Chicago Bears: $22.1MM
- Washington Redskins: $21.7MM
- Detroit Lions: $21.5MM
- Kansas City Chiefs: $21MM
- Cincinnati Bengals: $19.7MM
- Seattle Seahawks: $19.5MM
- Philadelphia Eagles: $18.6MM
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $18.2MM
- Oakland Raiders: $17.3MM
- Los Angeles Chargers: $16.4MM
- Green Bay Packers: $15.2MM
- New York Jets: $14.9MM
- New England Patriots: $14.1MM
- Baltimore Ravens: $13.4MM
- New Orleans Saints $7.5MM
- Carolina Panthers $5.9MM
- Los Angeles Rams $5.6MM
- New York Giants $5.5MM
- Pittsburgh Steelers $4.9MM
- Minnesota Vikings $4.7MM
- Arizona Cardinals $4.7MM
- Denver Broncos $4.4MM
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4.3MM
- Atlanta Falcons $3.4MM
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/19
It was a busy day in the NFL as teams made early cuts in advance of the 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/Injured: T Dieugot Joseph
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OL Jacob Ohnesorge
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: S Anthony Fish Smithson
Detroit Lions
- Released: QB David Fales
Kansas City Chiefs
- Placed on IR: FB John Lovett
New England Patriots
- Waived/Injured: WR Maurice Harris
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Hayes Pullard, S Jason Thompson
- Waived: LB Asantay Brown, S Tre Sullivan
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Claimed: CB Jhavonte Dean
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: CB Chris Campbell, RB Brandon Wilds, WR Nick Williams
- Waived: OL Willie Beavers, OL Dillon Day
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Nyqwan Murray, WR Kahlil Lewis
- Waived: WR Amara Darboh
- Placed on IR: DL Nazair Jones, CB Kalan Reed
Chiefs To Sign QB Matt Moore
The Chiefs have agreed to sign quarterback Matt Moore, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Moore will step into the role left vacant by Chad Henne, who is undergoing ankle surgery. 
Moore, 35, served as Ryan Tannehill‘s backup with the Dolphins for five seasons, but was out of football in 2018. In the previous season, Moore figured to be Tannehill’s fill-in post-ACL tear, but he was pushed out of the picture in favor of Jay Cutler.
For obvious reasons, the Chiefs are hoping that they won’t have to rely on Moore at all this year. There’s also this to consider – the Dolphins reportedly didn’t turn to Moore in 2017 because his arm was “shot.” Now 35 and coming off of a one-year layoff, it’s fair to wonder what Moore would have to offer if he were thrust into action.
While Moore led the Dolphins to the playoffs in 2016 in place of Tannehill, he did not fare as well in two starts for Cutler in 2017 – Moore’s yards-per-attempt figure dropped from 8.3 to 6.8 and his interception count (five) eclipsed his touchdown-pass total (four).
In addition to Mahomes and Moore, the Chiefs also have Chase Litton and Kyle Shurmur on hand. Neither of those quarterbacks have taken a regular season snap.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/20/19
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: OL Erik Magnuson
- Placed on IR: OL Garrett McGhin (ankle)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB James Williams
- Waived: DE Dadi Nicolas
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Jalen Tolliver
- Waived: G Abdul Beecham
Los Angeles Chargers
- Released: LS Mike Windt
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: WR T.J. Rahming
- Waived/injured: WR Saeed Blacknall
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR/KR Chris Thompson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: OL Landon Turner
- Placed on IR: G Demetrius Knox
Chiefs Re-Sign De’Anthony Thomas
The Chiefs have signed wide receiver De’Anthony Thomas, according to a press release. In a related move, the Chiefs waived fellow wideout Davon Grayson. 
Thomas spent the last five years with the Chiefs, but his 2018 season was brought to a screeching halt after he broke his leg. Then, in January, an arrest for marijuana possession hurt his free agency stock. Before all of that, Thomas saw time both as a returner and receiver for KC.
On Tuesday morning, the Chiefs facilitated another reunion by signing guard Jeff Allen.
Chiefs Sign Jeff Allen
Marcus Kemp‘s season ended before it could even start. The Chiefs wide receiver is done for the year after suffering ACL and MCL tears, according to Blair Kerkhoff of the Kansas City Star. To take his place on the roster, the club signed guard Jeff Allen to a one-year deal. 
Kemp was in the midst of a strong preseason and had a real shot at making the 53-man roster as a wide receiver. The former UDFA out of Hawaii appeared in all 16 games last season, plus two playoff contests, and notched his first NFL catch. Unfortunately, he’ll be sidelined after a low hit from Steelers safety Sean Davis in preseason action.
Allen, meanwhile, is on board for his third stint with Kansas City. He has 66 career starts to his credit, including four last season.
Chiefs May Re-Sign G Jeff Allen
Jeff Allen could be on the verge of reuniting with the Chiefs. The guard is discussing a deal with the team, according to former teammate Geoff Schwartz (on Twitter). 
A new deal would mark Allen’s third go-round with Kansas City. The Chiefs drafted Allen in the second round of the 2012 draft and brought him back into the fold in the middle of the 2018 campaign. In between the KC stints, he spent time with the Texans.
Allen has has 66 career starts to his credit, including four last season. The Texans paid him $7MM/year on his last deal, but he’d come significantly cheaper here in 2019.
Veach On Chiefs' Reid-Mahomes Setup
Andy Reid has worked with an MVP before (Brett Favre) and coached Pro Bowlers in Donovan McNabb, Michael Vick and Alex Smith. But Chiefs GM Brett Veach makes the case the seventh-year Kansas City HC has never had the kind possibilities for creativity, without limitations, that Patrick Mahomes provides.
Over the course of Reid’s Chiefs tenure, he has steadily incorporated college concepts into his offense. He helped coax the best season of Smith’s career in 2017, but Mahomes’ runaway MVP season obviously established a new bar for the Reid offense’s modern capabilities. In Pryor’s expansive article detailing the relationship between Reid and Mahomes, Veach adds the 21st-year HC not having to scrap any of his play designs separates his partnership with Mahomes.