Chiefs Practice Squad Tracker: How Will Kansas City Round Out the Roster?

Even though the Kansas City Chiefs have revealed their initial 53-man roster for the 2026 season, there is still more work to be done before the team's full list of players is entirely set. Players who don't begin the year on the active roster could still find a path to future playing time by landing on the practice squad.

With the challenges of NFL roster building often leading to tough decisions on cutdown day, the practice squad provides a place for teams to retain promising young players or familiar veterans who haven't been added to another team's 53-man roster.

We're tracking all of the news regarding the Chiefs' practice squad signings here on Chiefs On SI.

Kansas City Chiefs 2026 Practice Squad

CB D'Arco Perkins-McCallister

Cornerback D'Arco Perkins-McCallister, an undrafted rookie who finished his collegiate career at the University of Lousiana-Monroe, will be joining the team's practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson.

FB Ben VanSumeren

The Chiefs are signing fullback Ben VanSumeren to the practice squad, according to Jordan Schultz. As noted by Matt Lane of KCSN, VanSumeren played running back and linebacker in college before becoming a fullback in the NFL.

DE Emmanuel Ogbah

After cutting defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah on Sunday, the Chiefs are adding the veteran to the practice squad for his 11th NFL season, according to Schultz.

Chiefs announce more returning players

In addition to the previously reported signings, the Chiefs announced more moves on Monday afternoon, including wide receiver Andrew Armstrong and running back Jaydn Ott.

WR Andrew Armstrong
DT Cole Brevard
LB Cole Christiansen
WR Omari Evans
LB Cam Jones
S Tanner McCalister
G/C Pete Nygra
RB Jaydn Ott
S DeShon Singleton
DE Tyreke Smith

The team also confirmed the Ogbah and Perkins-McAllister signings. The Chiefs waived defensive tackle Marcus Harris and cornerback Kevin Knowles to make room for newly claimed defensive tackle Bryson Eason and defensive end Jack Pyburn. Knowles was later claimed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Harris cleared waivers on Tuesday.

OT Ethan Driskell, RB Nate Carter

On Tuesday, Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest reported that VanSumeren, offensive tackle Ethan Driskell and former Atlanta Falcons running back Nate Carter were present at the Chiefs' kickoff luncheon as "apparent additions" to the team's practice squad.

CB Kader Kohou

Later Tuesday afternoon, the Chiefs confirmed the practice squad signings of Carter, Driskell and VanSumeren while also announcing that veteran cornerback Kader Kohou would be joining the squad as well. As a noteworthy free agent addition this offseason, it was moderately surprising for Kohou to miss the initial 53, though his slide down the depth chart was noticeable in recent weeks.

DT Marcus Harris returns, DT Cole Brevard released on Wednesday

The Chiefs made one more swap on Wednesday, adding defensive tackle Marcus Harris to the practice squad and terminating the contract of Cole Brevard. Harris made the initial 53-man roster but was waived as a corresponding move when the team claimed Pyburn and Eason. Now, Harris stays in KC while Brevard's time ends.

Other Practice Squad News, Reports and Signings

OT Esa Pole heads to Washington

After being a somewhat surprising cut on Sunday, offensive tackle Esa Pole cleared waivers but will not be returning to Kansas City. According to Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, Pole is planning to join the Washington Commanders' practice squad.

CB Kaiir Elam stays in the AFC West

Cornerback Kaiir Elam didn't make the Chiefs' 53-man roster, and now he's off to join the Los Angeles Chargers' practice squad, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

TE Tre Watson opts for Miami

Tight end Tre Watson is signing with the Miami Dolphins practice squad, according to Wilson. Wilson noted that Watson "could have returned" to the Chiefs' practice squad "but chose [the] Dolphins opportunity."

Three players clear waivers, land on IR

On Sunday, the Chiefs waived three players with injury designations: quarterback Chris Oladokun, guard C.J. Hanson and running back E.J. Smith. All three cleared waivers on Monday, allowing them to land on the injured reserve list.

OL CJ Hanson , QB Chris Oladokun and RB EJ Smith all cleared waivers and are now on injured reserve. The #Chiefs can keep them on IR for the year, waive them at some point or work out an injury settlement down the road. https://t.co/2c2Uu0F5Ys pic.twitter.com/ObdnHZZX3M
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71) August 31, 2026

How Does the Practice Squad Work?

Every team can have a practice squad consisting of up to 17 players, with several conditions.

The 17th practice squad spot is reserved for players from the International Player Pathway program, which allows teams to spend extra time developing players from outside of the United States or Canada. For the Chiefs, that spot has belonged to Nigerian offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick in recent years. On Monday, Godrick was claimed off waivers by the Miami Dolphins.

For the rest of the 16-player squad, teams can keep a mix of players with minimal NFL experience and up to six veterans, as outlined in the NFL's contract language.

"Players with no accrued seasons and those with fewer than nine regular-season games in their lone accrued season are eligible for the practice squad," the league's rules explain. "Teams can also have a maximum of ten players who have earned no more than two accrued seasons. Each team [is allowed] to have up to six players with unlimited accrued seasons on the practice squad. However, the number of players in the last two categories cannot exceed 10 players combined."

When the season arrives, practice squad players can be elevated for a maximum of three games each league year. For additional appearances beyond those three standard elevations, players would need to be added to the 53-man roster.

Across the league, teams can sign players from another team's practice squad and add them to their 53-man roster, but players cannot be poached off of one practice squad directly to another.

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