For good reason, Peyton Hendershot thought he was far from getting extended snaps for the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night.
Tight end – acquired from Dallas in a preseason trade — was only elevated from the Chiefs’ practice squad to the active roster last week after rookie tight end Jared Wiley tore his ACL in practice.
Hendershot ended up being needed more than expected against Tampa Bay. After getting two first-half offensive snaps in the first three quarters, he scored 11 in the fourth quarter and overtime as the Chiefs looked at their running game during a Home victory 30-24.
“I came in at the end of the week, we haven’t really played a lot of games in this personnel package,” Hendershot told the Star. “So it was just crazy that we kept calling him and calling him, and it kept working.”
To be precise: Hendershot had five “Power” race plays, a downhill pattern that involves a guard pulling to clear a path for the ball carrier.
Two of them were particularly successful. Kareem Hunt ran for 13 yards in one instance, then 15 in another — the longest run by a Chiefs running back all season.
“It always feels good when you come in and you’re a new variable, and the plays work,” Hendershot said. “It feels good that you’re hopefully doing your part to keep this thing going because they already have a lot of momentum and things going on. So I don’t want to go in and ruin everything.
Hendershot, in his third professional season, comes to the Chiefs with a reputation as a run blocker and standout special teams player. Chiefs special teams coordinator Dave Toub said that after KC acquired Hendershot, Dallas special teams coach John Fassel immediately called him. “You got my guy,” Toub remembers telling Fassel.
“He has good instincts,” Toub said of the tight end. “He helped us in this game.”
On special teams, Hendershot participated in three of four special teams phases while showing off some of his physicality. It also showed up on running plays, when he was often asked to throw out a Tampa Bay defensive end on the edge.
“I thought I did a solid job. I can still take advantage of it,” Hendershot said of his debut with the Chiefs. “But I feel like for a first game, after seven or eight weeks away, I feel like I did the right thing to help the team win.”
Hendershot also picked up his first reception late in the fourth quarter, catching a pass from Patrick Mahomes in the flat and breaking a tackle before picking up nine.
His first experience playing Arrowhead was also memorable. During the critical period, Hendershot said one part stood out the most.
“I’ve only been in the league a few years, but you could feel the brotherhood they have there, playing between the white lines,” Hendershot said. “You can’t explain it, and that’s just the great thing that I recognize just by being about them, is that they all play for each other, and it’s really like a family here .”
Coach Andy Reid loves playing tight end, which means Hendershot should get more opportunities Sunday against Denver and beyond.
Hendershot’s goal? Just continue what he’s been doing recently.
“Hopefully this will make the coaches trust me more and hopefully give me more of a role,” Hendershot said. “And show my teammates that they can also believe and trust me, so I can help make history here.”
