The Washington Commanders and Kansas City Chiefs have announced their official promotions from their practice squads in anticipation of their _Monday Night Football_ matchup for Week 8. Both teams' moves point to areas of concern.
For the Commanders, the worries begin on special teams. Kicker Matt Gay has been dealing with a back injury and [was downgraded to "out" just hours before kickoff](https://x.com/adamschefter/status/1982900536048529482) on the team's injury report. That's why the team decided to promote Matthew Wright to the active roster in response.
Wright is a familiar face for Chiefs fans with some comfort at Arrowhead Stadium after having filled in for Kansas City in years past when kicker Harrison Butker was out with injury.
The Commanders are turning to a last-minute kicker who should be comfortable at Arrowhead.
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Wright has been with the Chiefs on three separate occasions. His first stint with the team came in 2022, when he was activated for a game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 5 and booted the longest field goal in Chiefs history (at the time) with a 59-yard attempt. He ended up converting three of four field goals that day.
Wright was signed away from the practice squad by the Pittsburgh Steelers later that season, but returned in January as a security blanket in case Butker was out again. It would be another two years before he would serve as the Chiefs' kicker once again. Last December, he converted all four field goal attempts and was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Interestingly, he was [filling in for Spencer Shrader](https://arrowheadaddict.com/chiefs-used-a-sneaky-tactic-to-ensure-their-enemies-don-t-improve-01je9prtrnwe), who was injured after trying to fill in for Butker.
As for the Chiefs, they elevated defensive tackle Marlon Tuipultotu and offensive lineman CJ Hanson from the practice squad for the game. As the Chiefs continue to monitor the progress (or lack thereof) of guard Trey Smith's back spasms, they've given themselves a bit more interior depth with the promotion of Hanson to go along with Hunter Nourzad inside on the offensive front. Hanson is a former seventh-round draft choice out of Holy Cross from the 2024 NFL Draft class.
Tuipulotu makes sense as a useful part who is familiar with the defense while providing another body inside knowing the Chiefs are thin at defensive tackle. Omarr Norman-Lott's injury has added more pressure on the front office to find help inside before the NFL's trade deadline. The Chiefs' second-round rookie was lost for the season with a torn ACL suffered in Week 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Commanders and Chiefs take the field for Monday Night Football at 7:15 p.m. C.T.