Kansas City Chiefs officially wave the white flag on the 2025 NFL season with latest batch of roster moves
The Kansas City Chiefs placed three more starters on injured reserve on Wednesday.
If you thought the flurry of roster moves the Kansas City Chiefs made ahead of their Week 16 game was something, you’ll be flabergasted by the moves they’re making ahead of Week 17’s game against the Denver Broncos on Christmas Day.
The Chiefs officially placed four players, including three starters, on injured reserve on Wednesday. They also signed three players from their practice squad to the 53-man roster and activated one player from injured reserve.
These are the signs of a team officially waving the white flag and protecting their star players for what amounts to exhibition games in the final two weeks of the season. To this point, they’ve been unwilling to commit to playing the young players and turn the page to 2026, but it seems like that might be changing as early as this week.
Trent McDuffie, Rashee Rice, Jaylen Watson, and Tyquan Thornton head to injured reserve
When Chiefs HC Andy Reid announced on Tuesday that Trent McDuffie (knee), Rashee Rice (concussion), Jaylen Watson (groin), and Tyquan Thornton (concussion) wouldn’t practice, it felt increasingly likely that this group would be the next batch of players the team chose to shut down for the remainder of the 2025 NFL season. Steve Spagnuolo virtually ruled McDuffie and Watson out in his comments to the media about Broncos WR Courtland Sutton.
“Oh yeah, that’s pretty – that’s a no brainer, right? Big 6’4” target, but yeah, I think Kristian’s (Fulton) played against him (Courtland Sutton) before in other years, and Nohl (Williams) will be out there, and we’ll try to get some other guys – Josh Williams might have to step up and play a little bit for us but yeah, big target,” Spagnuolo said. “We’ll have to find a way to limit his catches, although I know whether he’s covered or not, I think the quarterback has a lot of confidence in throwing to him, so I’m sure the ball’s going to go that way at some point.”
There’s no reason to subject these four to further injury with little left to play for.
The one question this raises: Have we seen Jaylen Watson and Tyquan Thornton play their last game in a Chiefs uniform? It’s certainly possible, as both players are pending free agents for the 2026 NFL season. I hope Thornton, at the very least, would consider returning next season after having the most successful season of his NFL career in Kansas City.
Chiefs sign Ethan Downs, Tyreke Smith, and Melvin Smith from the practice squad
It’s time for the Chiefs to see what they have in some of their young pass-rushers. Here’s what I wrote about Ethan Downs and Tyreke Smith just a few weeks ago:
“With the edge rush really stalling out for Kansas City, a player like Downs intrigues me the most. He’s finished his college career with the Sooners with 110 total tackles, 33 tackles for loss, and 12.5 sacks. During the 2025 NFL preseason with the Jaguars, the 6-foot-4 and 265-pound edge rusher recorded three pressures, one sack, and two defensive stops. Smith was a successful college player for the Ohio State Buckeyes, but he has appeared in only three career NFL games since entering the league in 2022.”
As for Melvin Smith, he had a really strong offseason with Kansas City and has the potential to be in the mix for the nickel cornerback position. They’ve got Kevin Knowles working that spot currently, but Smith could very well back him up or play some special teams snaps in Week 17.
Where Nazeeh Johnson plays in Chiefs return will be telling about his future
Johnson’s been on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, but is slated to return for the final two games of the season. Where and how the Chiefs utilize him will tell us a lot about his future in Kansas City. If you’ll recall, he started his NFL career learning the nickel corner spot before moving to outside cornerback. In college at Marshall, Johnson played the safety position. With the team’s depth depleted at nickel and safety, it’s hard not to wonder if he’ll get a look at either of those spots. If he just plays a depth role or special teams, that’d also be quite telling.
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