The Kansas City Chiefs added a kicker Tuesday, cut a player they traded for, lost a tight end to injured reserve and also could be getting a pair of starters back for Friday’s home game against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The barrage of roster activity took place as KC found itself in the strange position of continuing to lose players to injury while, at the same time, welcoming a few back.

Start here: KC should have its third kicker of the season Friday, as the team signed Matthew Wright to its practice squad. The Chiefs’ Spencer Shrader — he filled in the last two weeks for starter Harrison Butker — sat out of Tuesday’s practice with a hamstring injury.

Wright’s name might sound familiar; he filled in two games for Butker in the 2022 season, making 3 of 4 field goals while also hitting a then-franchise-record 59-yarder at home against the Raiders.

Butker bested that mark a few weeks later with a 62-yard field goal of his own.

The Chiefs also reshuffled their roster Tuesday to make room for offensive tackle DJ Humphries, who signed with the team late last week. KC waived defensive end Cameron Thomas, who was acquired in a preseason trade with the Arizona Cardinals for a seventh-round pick.

KC also announced that tight end Peyton Hendershot had been placed on injured reserve after hurting his calf, while tight end Baylor Cupp had been restored to the practice squad following a preseason injury.

Meanwhile, defensive end Truman Jones and offensive tackle Lucas Niang had their practice-squad contracts terminated.

The Chiefs’ active roster sits at 51 players out of a possible 53, which means KC could be reserving spots for two returning starters: running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive end Charles Omenihu.

Pacheco, in his third year out of Rutgers, broke his fibula during the Chiefs’ second game against the Cincinnati Bengals. He was off to a fast start before the setback, with 189 combined yards from scrimmage and a touchdown in his first two contests.

Veteran Kareem Hunt has been the primary back in Pacheco’s absence, and Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy said he was looking forward to when both were available.

“The best part about that is you don’t just have one, where they’re getting worn down to where they might be 50 or 60% in the third quarter,” Nagy said Tuesday. “Now you have two guys that are working off 100%, and they’re both really good players with experience that know this offense.”

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes also expected Pacheco — one of the team’s most vocal players — to bring enthusiasm to the Chiefs’ sideline.

“He’s going to be ‘Pop,’ man,” Mahomes said, referring to Pacheco’s nickname. “Obviously, we’re going to have to work him back to when he’s ready, and then get him, when he gets on the field, to try not to overdo it. But he’s gonna have energy.”

The 6-foot-5, 280-pound Omenihu hasn’t played this season after tearing his ACL in last year’s AFC Championship against the Baltimore Ravens.

Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said his hope was that Omenihu could “juice up the pass rush” for a team that has struggled to bring down opposing QBs this season. KC, however, will be cautious with him when he returns.

“What you don’t want to do is throw somebody out there too quick with too many reps and have something go sideways from a physical standpoint,” Spagnuolo said. “So we’ll see where he is, and hopefully, we get some snaps out of him.”

Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said Omenihu’s ability to play inside and out on the defensive line “adds another level of depth to our defense.” Omenihu had eight sacks in 14 combined regular-season and playoff games for the Chiefs last season.

“He’s a pass-rusher,” Jones said of Omenihu, “so it’s always good to get more pass-rushers on the field and acquired so we can get the quarterback down eventually.”

As for Humphries, Nagy said the Chiefs would monitor his progress “day by day” as he potentially looks to help the team’s left-tackle depth. Humphries, 30, was an eight-year starter for the Arizona Cardinals before he tore his ACL on Dec. 31, 2023; he was cleared to return to the field last week before signing with the Chiefs.

KC has had inconsistent play at left tackle this season. Second-year pro Wanya Morris has started nine games, but he didn’t play his best Sunday against Carolina, allowing four QB pressures and a sack according to Pro Football Focus.

Nagy has some ties to Humphries, as he played alongside his father (also named DJ) for the Arena League’s Carolina Cobras in 2004. Overall, Nagy said his expectation for the younger Humphries was to be himself and “play the way that he’s been playing his entire career.”

“He has an infectious personality, and he’s a helluva player,” Nagy said. “And he’s experienced, so he wants to be able to help out in any way possible.”