The Kansas City Chiefs have gotten right to work on reshaping the roster for the 2026 season in the aftermath of their 11th loss of the season on Sunday, a miserable Week 18 showing against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
On Monday, the Chiefs announced the signing of the first four futures deals offered to players, reserving them a spot on the 90-man offseason roster. That won't be official until a new league year begins in March, but NFL teams get ahead of things by signing players in the winter to secure their services for the road ahead.
The players added so far included linebacker Kam Arnold, defensive lineman Marcus Harris, wide receiver Jimmy Holiday, and offensive tackle Matt Waletzko. Arnold is special teams competition, while Harris is a flyer who has flashed disruptive potential. Waletzko is a former Dallas Cowboys draft project that never panned out. Holiday is the most intriguing here as a wideout who stuck around after signing as a UDFA out of Louisiana Tech throughout 2025 with some attention from the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants as well.
On Tuesday, the Chiefs added two more players to the list while also seeing a few more transactions come across the wire. Let's take a look at the flurry of activity so far this week.
Andrew Armstrong signed to futures deal
Andrew Armstrong is a Dallas native who is used to being a long shot on football rosters, so he'll try once again to defy the odds with the Chiefs heading into the 2026 offseason. A former zero-star recruit sat for two years at a D-2 program before getting reps in his third year and breaking out in his fourth.
Two strong seasons at Arkansas after transferring in brought him attention from the professional level, albeit as an older prospect projected as a rookie free agent. The Miami Dolphins signed him following the draft, but he was cut when active rosters were due. The Detroit Lions offered him a one-week stint on their practice squad in early December, but Armstrong mostly sat in his first NFL season waiting for the phone to ring.
Now Armstrong starts the offseason with the Chiefs hoping to gain some late momentum. He led the SEC in receiving yards in 2024, so there's proven production against strong competition as a possession receiver. However, he's going to have to prove his mettle on special teams to have any chance of sticking.
ShunDerrick Powell will join offseason roster
It's not hard to see why ShunDerrick Powell turns the heads of scouts with his impressive athleticism. His 40.5-inch vertical would have tied the top mark at the 2025 NFL Combine, and his 1.50 10-yard split would have been second. Consider him a discount Bhayshul Tuten (not quite as fast or big) and you get a sense of why Powell has gained attention yet failed to stick around.
That said, the Chiefs have been interested in Powell for a long time. They invited him in for a pre-draft visit and held a recent workout with him near season's end. The Philadelphia Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent last spring, but released him in late August. Powell's history of production along with plus-athleticism makes him an interesting prospect to watch as the offseason unfolds.
Warren Peeples has tryout with Chiefs
Not only did the Chiefs sign a couple of players, but they held a tryout with linebacker Warren Peeples on Tuesday. Peeples is a prospect out of Southeastern Louisiana who initially earned a deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after going unselected in the 2025 draft. He had 7.5 tackles for loss and 5 sacks last season for the Lions and was named first team All-Southland Conference.
Shane Buechele clears waivers
Shane Buechele officially cleared waivers, which allowed him to sign as a free agent with any team, including a return to the Buffalo Bills. Nice favor he did for the Chiefs by deciding to sign with them to help bolster the roster when it was needed.
Tanner McCalister joins Denver Broncos
Tanner McCalister is a fairly well-traveled safety heading into his fourth NFL season. He'd spent time with the Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, and New York Jets before joining the Chiefs practice squad in mid-December. Normally that signals a hopeful futures contract signing for 2026, but McCalister found his way back to Denver on Tuesday after the Chiefs terminated his contract on Monday.