The Kansas City Chiefs have an opportunity to move to 6-0 on the year but standing in between them doing that is a Sunday night date with the Seattle Seahawks. The Chiefs recently made a flurry of moves ahead of the matchup, including several roster promotions and one demotion to the practice squad.
This wasn't a surprise considering the Chiefs will be without Rashee Rice, Jaylon Moore, and Brashard Smith, giving them a chance to elevate some guys to the active roster. Who got promoted and what other moves were made?
Let's break down what the Chiefs' roster moves consisted of as they vie for a 6-0 start.
Andrew Armstrong promoted to active roster
Andrew Armstrong became a fan favorite this summer and Chiefs Kingdom was disappointed when he didn't ultimately make the final roster. He did remain on the practice squad and got his call-up in Week 6 after the Chiefs suffered injuries ahead of the bye week.
Armstrong made the most of his opportunities in Week 6, contributing on special teams with a tackle on a kickoff. He also caught one pass for 13 yards and helped as a blocker. He's now officially on the active roster moving forward and hopefully, he gets more of a chance to show what he can do as a pass-catcher. That shouldn't be as difficult to do with Rice and Tyquan Thornton both injured.
Cooper McDonald to active roster
The Chiefs are getting some much-needed help for their linebacker room after adding Cooper McDonald to the active roster. McDonald was injured in the Chiefs' season opener against Denver but is back and ready to contribute on defense.
McDonald, an undrafted linebacker out of TCU, was someone that the Chiefs had high hopes for this year. He was someone the Chiefs valued and didn't want to risk losing by putting him on the practice squad and now he's going to have a chance to earn a more meaningful role. Maybe that won't come right away but with the linebacker position considered to be one of the weaker ones on the roster, he should get his fair share of snaps.
Justin Watson elevated to active roster
Chiefs fans probably couldn't help but roll their eyes when the team brought in another former familiar face at wide receiver, signing Justin Watson to a contract during the bye week. Watson signed with the Chiefs in 2022 and spent three seasons with them and became a sneaky favorite target of Patrick Mahomes' during that time.
He signed with the Texans last year but failed to capitalize on any sort of opportunity there. Now he's back in Kansas City and, after spending some time on the practice squad, has been elevated to the active roster for Week 7.
Watson's best season with the Chiefs came in 2023 when he had 460 receiving yards and three touchdowns. He's not a world beater by any means but Mahomes clearly trusts him and if there's chemistry there, that's not something to ignore.
Jaydn Ott to active roster; Nate Carter back on practice squad
With Brashard Smith out for this critical matchup, the Chiefs were expected to make some moves at running back and they did just that. Jaydn Ott is getting promoted while Nate Carter is heading back to the practice squad.
Ott went undrafted out of Oklahoma and likely won't be called upon to do much. He's mostly just a body to have on the roster in place of the injured Smith but, considering Smith didn't do much when active, the same will likely be the case for Ott.
That said, this is still a great opportunity for Ott. He has a relationship with running backs coach DeMarco Murray, as the two spent time together at Oklahoma before arriving in K.C. and now hopes that he can show his NFL team what he can do, even if it's a minor role.
As for Carter, he failed to make an impression on the Falcons this summer and the Chiefs scooped him up after he was cut loose. He's still around on the practice squad but he's clearly fallen behind in the running back competition.
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