Cowboys trade TE Peyton Hendershot to Chiefs for conditional draft pick before roster cut deadline, per report

The Kansas City Chiefs have made a move for a backup behind Travis Kelce. The Chiefs are sending a conditional late-round draft pick to the Dallas Cowboys for tight end Peyton Hendershot, according to NFL Media.

It had previously been reported that Hendershot would be among the Cowboys’ roster cuts ahead of the 53-man cutdown deadline on Tuesday afternoon, but instead he will head directly to Kansas City. 

A former undrafted free agent out of Indiana University, Hendershot played in 25 games and caught 15 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns during his two seasons in Dallas. He worked behind Dalton Schultz and Jake Ferguson as a rookie, and then behind Feruson and Luke Schoonmaker last year. He was also a contributor on special teams.

At 6-foot-5 and 254 pounds, Hendershot has good size, and he tested as a very strong athlete at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2022. He didn’t carve out a significant role in Dallas, playing 29% and 28% of offensive snaps in his two seasons, but with Kelce entering his age-35 campaign and backup Noah Gray entering the final year of his rookie deal, the Chiefs apparently wanted to give themselves some insurance at the position — even after drafting Jared Wiley in the fourth round back in April.

The Chiefs finished third in the NFL in snaps with two or more tight ends on the field last season, according to Tru Media, and seventh in snaps with three-plus tight ends. Having depth at the position makes sense for them, especially given that they are likely to manage Kelce’s workload during the regular season to ensure he can be at full strength come playoff time.