The Kansas City Chiefs’ latest roster moves have the team playing musical chairs at linebacker.

The Chiefs reportedly signed linebacker Aiden Fisher to the practice squad on Tuesday. That move isn’t official in the NFL’s system yet. However, two other linebacker moves involving the 53-man roster are official.

According to the NFL’s daily personnel notice, Kansas City waived linebacker Cam Jones from the 53-man roster. The team also opened the door for a familiar face to return from injured reserve.

Cooper McDonald returns from injured reserve for Kansas City

Jones began his return to Kansas City on the practice squad. The Chiefs signed him to the 53-man roster last week. They lacked linebacker depth after second-year linebacker Cooper McDonald went down in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season. McDonald suffered a knee injury on special teams, and Kansas City placed him on injured reserve.

That move required McDonald to sit out at least four games before he became eligible to return. He wasn’t quite ready when the team started its practice week ahead of the Week 6 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Now the 6-foot-3, 240-pound linebacker has been cleared and designated to return from injured reserve. The designation allows the Chiefs to bring McDonald back to practice and opens a 21-day window to activate him to the 53-man roster. Because the team waived Jones, Kansas City likely intends to activate McDonald for the Week 7 game against the Seattle Seahawks on “Sunday Night Football.”

McDonald has one assisted tackle on special teams in his lone game this season. He did appear in 17 games as a rookie, including one start. The 25-year-old recorded 25 combined tackles and one tackle for loss during that rookie campaign. He returns as a key special teamer and the team’s top option at SAM linebacker.

What does this mean for Chiefs LB Jack Cochrane?

While Jones provided valuable depth this past week, Jack Cochrane has been McDonald’s primary fill-in during the weeks he missed on injured reserve. The veteran linebacker is coming off a game where he notched his second career interception, which he returned for 48 yards. If McDonald needs an injury ramp-up period, Cochrane could realistically hold down the starting SAM linebacker spot. I’d still expect to see McDonald in some base personnel and certain subpackages. He’ll also be a core special teams player for coordinator Dave Toub’s unit.

Why the Chiefs signed Aiden Fisher to the practice squad

The situation with Jones carries a twist. The Chiefs seem committed to signing Fisher to the practice squad before Jones clears waivers. That suggests Kansas City expects Jones either to be claimed or to have no desire to return to the practice squad after his release from the 53-man roster.

The Chiefs may also simply see more long-term value in Fisher. He compares favorably to linebacker Drue Tranquill, who is in the final year of his contract in Kansas City. Adding a developmental player with a similar profile now gives the team a head start on a potential succession plan at the position. All in all, the Chiefs are swapping out linebackers on the 53-man roster and potentially on the practice squad.

Wide receiver could be the next roster decision for Brett Veach

The next question is what Kansas City does at wide receiver. WR Andrew Armstrong remains on the practice squad and has only two practice squad elevations left. He also played a large role in the Week 6 win over the Chargers, which makes his status hard to ignore.

That’ll be the next piece of the puzzle for Chiefs GM Brett Veach to figure out. For now, he appears to have homed in on the linebacker spot, both in the interim and for the long term.