Chiefs Put Key Running Back On IR, Activate LInebacker

The Kansas City Chiefs have made an unexpected change at running back going into Sunday night’s game against the Seattle Seahawks, as they’ve placed third back Brashard Smith on injured reserve and signed Jaydn Ott to the active roster off the practice squad, per a report from Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

Smith had been ruled out on Friday due to a hamstring injury, the writer added, and he will have to miss at least the next four games for the Chiefs. The move may reflect the lack of a role for Smith, as the Chiefs have been relying heavily on running back Kenneth Walker III as a three-down back, with rookie Emmett Johnson subbing in occasionally to get experience, and Johnson has also been getting some looks and targets as a receiver out of the backfield. 

Ott, meanwhile, made the practice squad as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma. He has more size than Smith at 5’11, 208 pounds, and he had his best season in college for Cal as he rushed for 1315 yards and 12 touchdowns, which earned him first-team All-Pac 12 honors. 

The move increases the possibility that the Chiefs could pick up a veteran running back at the trade deadline, although that move probably wouldn’t be a major deal. But going through the rest of the season with two rookie running backs behind Walker is a big risk the Chiefs might not be willing to take.

One name that comes to mind is running back Kareem Hunt, who certainly knows the pre-Walker version of the roster as well as anyone. Hunt looked like a logical add before training camp, but the Chiefs elected to see what they had with Walker and quarterback Patrick Mahomes, with the results to date being a 5-0 record. 

The Chiefs also activated linebacker Cooper McDonald off injured reserve, which may be an important part of this move as well. McDonald played in Week 1, per Alper, but he’s been out with a knee injury since. 

The other move the Chiefs made related to all this was to promoted receiver from the practice squad. Watson was signed a couple of weeks ago, and he, too, knows the offense and is now presumably in football shape. 

Walker will undoubtedly be the featured back against the Seahawks, but he won’t get to face his old running buddy, as Zach Charbonnet was confirmed out for this game after Friday’s practice by Seattle.