Kansas City Chiefs’ lone practice squad elevation for Week 4 vs. Las Vegas Raiders pushes player to his limit for the 2026 NFL season
The Kansas City Chiefs have elevated LB Cole Christiansen for Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The Kansas City Chiefs officially elevated one player from the practice squad ahead of Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders.
With Chamarri Conner back in the fold, the Kansas City Chiefs’ needs for Week 4 are a bit different. They still don’t have Cooper McDonald back from IR, and Josh Simmons remains ruled out. Kansas City likes to maximize practice squad elevations, sometimes even rewarding practice squad players with a typical NFL game check even if they’re not slated to be active. That’s not the case this week with only a single practice squad elevation.
Here’s a quick reminder of the league’s practice squad elevation rules
Practice Squad Elevation Rules
NFL clubs can elevate up to two players per week without signing them to the 53-man roster. This temporarily expands 53-man rosters to as many as 55 players, but it does not expand game-day roster limits (48).
- Players can only receive 3 standard elevations per season.
- Following the game, players automatically revert to the practice squad.
- Practice squad elevations reset for the postseason.
Chiefs elevate practice squad LB Cole Christiansen for Week 4 vs. Raiders
The 29-year-old Christiansen will get his third straight week elevated from the practice squad. As a result, he can no longer be elevated to the 53-man roster via standard elevation during the regular season. If the Chiefs want him on the roster, they’ll need to sign him to an active roster contract. Conversely, they can wait until the postseason to elevate him again.
With Cooper McDonald possibly ready to return from IR after the Week 5 bye week, I’d be surprised to see Christiansen land on the 53-man roster. Remember, the team also has Cam Jones on the practice squad. They also recently held tryouts with a number of linebackers.
Christiansen played 18 special teams snaps in Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts and recorded two tackles. He played 10 special teams snaps in Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, but didn’t record any tackles. Christiansen has been with the Chiefs since the 2022 NFL season. The 6-foot-1 and 230-pound linebacker is a two-time Super Bowl champion. Week 4 against the Raiders will mark his 20th career regular-season game played for Kansas City.
