The Kansas City Chiefs are clearly looking to reinforce their linebacker depth after second-year linebacker Cooper McDonald landed on injured reserve with a knee injury. On Thursday, Sept. 17, the Chiefs held tryouts for four linebackers. So far, none of those players have been signed to the 53-man roster or the practice squad.

With Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Jeffrey Bassa, and Jack Cochrane as the only linebackers on the roster, Kansas City is clearly looking for depth solutions and players to add to their call list. The Chiefs hosted linebackers Marte Mapu, Dominic DeLuca, Langston Patterson, and TJ Quinn for tryouts on Thursday.

Marte Mapu is the name worth chasing

Mapu is the former 76th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots. The third-rounder is 26 years old and has three career interceptions as a safety-linebacker hybrid. He has traits that fit Steve Spagnuolo’s disguise-heavy defensive scheme, and he brings plenty of special teams experience for Dave Toub’s unit. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound defender is the only player in this group with a real NFL resume. He spent this offseason with the Houston Texans, but was placed on injured reserve before roster cuts. They released him from IR with an injury settlement.

The other three players are newcomers to the league. They haven’t played meaningful snaps outside of the preseason. DeLuca is a 2026 undrafted free agent out of Penn State who caught on this offseason with the Baltimore Ravens but didn’t make the 53-man roster. He’s listed at 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds.

Patterson went undrafted out of Vanderbilt and signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent. He also did not make the 53-man roster and was waived during roster cuts. He’s listed at a hair over 6 feet and 229 pounds.

Quinn, another undrafted free agent out of Louisville, signed with the Green Bay Packers after the 2026 NFL Draft. He was also released in final roster cuts. He’s another player slightly over 6 feet and 225 pounds.

Cole Christiansen expected to be elevated for Week 2

Right now, the Chiefs have Cole Christiansen and Cam Jones on the practice squad. Christiansen is expected to be elevated to the 53-man roster for Week 2’s game against the Indianapolis Colts. He will help offset McDonald’s absence in the meantime.

The key thing to remember about practice squad elevations is that players can be elevated to the 53-man roster only three times before they’re ineligible for standard elevations and must be signed outright to play. It’s entirely possible that one of these tryout players will sign with the team when one of their linebackers exhausts their practice squad elevations.

McDonald will be reevaluated after four weeks. He has to spend at least four weeks on injured reserve before he can be designated to return. He’s expected to return at some point this season, but it’s unclear whether that will be sooner or later.