Chiefs claim tight end Brian Parker, offensive tackle Jah Reid off waivers

After the Chiefs pared their roster down from 75 to 53 men on Saturday, the second part of a busy weekend the close of the waiver claim period commenced on Sunday.

The Chiefs were plenty active, too, as they claimed San Diego tight end Brian Parker off waivers, a source confirmed to The Star. The Chiefs also claimed offensive tackle Jah Reid, according to a source. Reid (6-7, 325) was cut by the Ravens on Saturday.

A corresponding move will have to be made, but has not been announced.

Parker, 23, is listed at 6 feet 4 and 265 pounds. He is a rookie who played college football at Albany. He caught one pass for 14 yards this preseason.

The addition of Parker gives the Chiefs four tight ends on their roster, as he will join starter Travis Kelce and backups James O’Shaughnessy and Demetrius Harris.

Kelce did not play in the Chiefs’ final exhibition game against the St. Louis Rams on Thursday due to a slightly sprained ankle, while Harris was limited to 11 offensive snaps against the Rams.

Harris served as the Chiefs’ third tight end last season, at least for the first eight games, when he caught three passes for 20 yards. However, he eventually was lost for the season with a broken foot, and Thursday’s action was his first game back since then.

Offensive coordinator Doug Pederson said last week that it could be “several weeks” before Harris helps the team in a significant way, so the addition of Parker helps guard against that possibility and will allow the Chiefs to continue to use the two- and three-tight end sets coach Andy Reid has occasionally mixed in.

The move, however, came with a cost, as the Chiefs cut outside linebacker Dezman Moses to make room for Parker.

Moses, 26, is coming off a strong preseason in which he recorded five tackles and eight quarterback hurries, according to Pro Football Focus.

The Chiefs, however, had six outside linebackers after Saturday’s roster deadline, and with two Pro Bowlers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali a former first-round pick (Dee Ford) and a key special teams player (Josh Martin) competing for playing time at the same position, they opted to part ways with Moses.

NFL teams also could start bringing players back to the 10-man practice squad at noon on Sunday, and at least five players the Chiefs cut on Saturday will return, including offensive tackle Jarrod Pughsley, receiver Fred Williams, center Daniel Munyer, defensive end David Irving and receiver Da’Ron Brown, sources told The Star.

On the flip side of that, however, the Chiefs did lose two players they released on Saturday as linebacker James-Michael Johnson and center Eric Kush were both claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Johnson, a fourth-year pro with dealt with a calf strain in training camp, started nine games in 2014 due to injuries to starters Derrick Johnson and Joe Mays. But with Derrick Johnson, Josh Mauga and rookie Ramik Wilson, who led the team in tackles this preseason, ahead of him, Johnson was let go.

Kush, 25, was a third-round pick in 2013. He spent the first two years of his career as Rodney Hudson’s understudy, starting only one game, before he was elevated to a starting position when Hudson left for Oakland via free agency in March.

Kush held the job through organized-team activities, rarely relinquishing any snaps, but that changed once training camp began, as second-round center Mitch Morse seized the job only a week into camp.

Morse never let the job go, and the fate of Kush, who did not play any other positions in preseason games, was likely sealed when second-year lineman Zach Fulton turned in an impressive effort in the Chiefs’ 24-17 win over the St. Louis Rams on Thursday, his first-ever game at center.

Also, one of the players the Chiefs released Saturday, cornerback Kevin Short, will sign with the Seattle Seahawks’ practice squad, a source said.

(c)2015 The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.)

Visit The Kansas City Star (Kansas City, Mo.) at www.kansascity.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.