With two roster spots suddenly open, the Kansas City Chiefs have decisions to make.
On Tuesday, the team officially placed two players on injured reserve, which opens two spots on the 90-man roster just as the first official training camp practices are scheduled to get underway. Tight end John Michael Gyllenborg and defensive end Ethan Downs have landed on IR, which means they no longer count against the roster and should open up the competition at their respective positions. Downs suffered a torn ACL a few days ago, while Gyllenborg's dealt with a sprained knee this offseason.
What does this mean for the Chiefs as the preseason buzz begins in St. Joseph?
Can the injured players return this season?
No. That's the short answer.
Technically, there are exceptions that allow players to return from injured reserve, but that's all about timing, which comes either on roster cutdown day (where there are two allowed exceptions) to go from the 90-man roster to IR (and still come back) or after 53-man rosters are formed. That's it. Given that these are late-July IR placements, the season is officially over for Downs and Gyllenborg.
What did the Chiefs lose with these injuries?
It's tough to see any player go down. Both of these young prospects were interesting at their respective positions. Ethan Downs had a potential inside track for Malik Herring's former role occupying the bottom of the depth chart at defensive end. The competition was thin there to begin with, which indicated that K.C. liked what they had in-house. Now they'll have to wait until next year to see what Downs brings to the table.
As for Gyllenborg, he was always a long shot to make the active roster, but even then, he was quite intriguing as a developmental play. Gyllenborg's athletic profile was very appealing, especially as a weapon in the passing game. Given the lack of long-term options and having Travis Kelce in his twilight, Gyllenborg remains on the radar for next year. The IR stash does little to affect that one way or the other, since it feels like he'd have been around either way for 2027.
What will the Chiefs do with the open roster spots?
It's impossible to say for sure who is coming to Arrowhead, but it makes sense for the Chiefs to bolster those positions specifically. At the very least, defensive end will have a new name attached, but the Chiefs could easily lean somewhere else with Gyllenborg's spot.
When surveying the landscape, it's not exactly easy to find defensive ends off the street. Veteran Janarius Robinson was on the roster a year ago, but remains a free agent despite the New England Patriots holding a tryout for him earlier this summer. Emmanuel Ogbah has been with the Chiefs before. It might be more likely that the team calls a rookie free agent who was interesting to them—perhaps Ethan Hurkett, who was around at rookie minicamp.
At tight end, Will Dissly would be a nice addition, but the Chiefs should have seized on that a while ago and don't seem too intent on upsetting the apple cart atop the depth chart. They have Mason Pline and Jake Briningstool and Tre Watson already as developmental options, so it's not as if they're handcuffed without Gyllenborg around. This is what could allow them to add an intriguing competitor at another spot.
Either way, expect the Chiefs to move quickly. Every training camp practice matters, and empty roster spots rarely stay vacant for long.
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