Kansas City Chiefs’ 2025 second-round draft pick is back on the practice field just over 1 year after season-ending ACL injury
The Kansas City Chiefs have opened the 21-day practice window for DT Omarr Norman-Lott, who hasn’t played since Week 7 of his rookie season. Now they have a crowded room to sort out.
Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott hasn’t played football since Week 7’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders during his rookie season. That was just over 365 days ago. He tore his ACL during that game, a season-ending knee injury for the 2025 second-round draft pick.
He’s back on the practice field now. The Chiefs have designated Norman-Lott to return from the reserve/physically unable to perform list, per KC Star columnist Sam McDowell. It gives Kansas City’s young interior pass rusher a path back to the field just over a year after the injury.
The timing of the original injury stung. It came as the Chiefs began to ramp up his snaps, and he was emerging as an interior pass rusher alongside Chris Jones and George Karlaftis. Through five games during his rookie season, Norman-Lott finished with five tackles and a sack.
What Omarr Norman-Lott’s return to practice means for the Chiefs
Norman-Lott landed on season-ending injured reserve in 2025. He has been on the physically unable to perform list all season leading up to this move. With his practice window now open, the Chiefs have 21 days to let Norman-Lott practice before they need to make a decision. If he isn’t activated by the end of the 21-day window, he’ll remain on the reserve list for the remainder of the season.
Chiefs fans shouldn’t expect Norman-Lott to be activated to the 53-man roster this week. He’ll likely need time to ramp up. I expect him to use the full 21-day window to get back up to speed. It has been a tough break for the Chiefs’ top two picks in the 2025 NFL draft. Their first-round pick in 2025, LT Josh Simmons, is now on injured reserve with a back injury and has missed several games.
Chiefs have a logjam to sort out on the interior defensive line
Norman-Lott’s return creates a roster puzzle for Kansas City on the defensive interior. Chris Jones and Khyiris Tonga are the two starters, followed by Peter Woods and waiver claim Bryson Eason.
Tonga and Eason are the big run-stuffing defensive tackles in that group. Jones and Woods are the two 3-technique pass rushers expected to impact the quarterback. So where does Norman-Lott fit?
Here’s the thing about Norman-Lott’s rookie season: he was caught somewhere between pass rusher and run stuffer. The Chiefs had him bulk up from his playing weight at the University of Tennessee, where he was listed around 6-foot-3 and 295 pounds. In Kansas City, he was up to around 315 pounds. That drew criticism that the team was putting him in a situation that didn’t suit his play style.
At his core, Norman-Lott is more of a pass-rushing prototype. He tallied 10 tackles for loss and 9.5 total sacks over two seasons with the Volunteers. In 2024, he led the nation in pass-rush win rate among defensive tackles at 18.9%.
That’s the type of player the Chiefs need right now. Kansas City’s pass rush has underperformed so far. The hope is that Norman-Lott can help juice it up once he’s back to full speed. How Steve Spagnuolo deploys him, and at what weight, will be worth watching over the next three weeks as the Chiefs decide whether he’s ready to rejoin the 53-man roster.
