Kansas City, Mo. ? The Chiefs put tight end Tony Moeaki on injured reserve Saturday after he was hurt in their final preseason game against Green Bay, depriving quarterback Matt Cassel of one of his most dependable targets heading into the regular season, which starts Sept. 11.

Kansas City also put linebacker Gabe Miller on IR and waived 25 other players.

The Chiefs took a different approach than most teams this preseason, playing their starters sparingly early on to guard against injuries after the NFL lockout wiped out a normal offseason.

The first-team unit then played into the second half against the Packers, while most teams used the final exhibition game largely to rest their regulars. Several players were banged up in the game, including Moeaki, who limped off the field with what is believed to be a knee injury.

Moeaki’s loss is a significant blow to the defending AFC West champions.

He caught 47 passes for 556 yards and three touchdowns last season, giving the Chiefs the kind of receiving threat off the line of scrimmage that Tony Gonzalez provided for so many years. Now they’ll count on Leonard Pope, Jake O’Connell and Anthony Becht to fill his role.

Kansas City kept journeyman Tyler Palko and fifth-round draft pick Ricky Stanzi to back up Cassel at quarterback. It’s still possible that general manager Scott Pioli will sift through the waiver wire to find a veteran who can serve as the backup.