Chiefs activate linebacker Cole Christiansen via standard elevation; practice squad moves continue
The Kansas City Chiefs activated linebacker Cole Christiansen via a standard elevation to the active roster on Oct. 3, the team reported. Christiansen had been elevated multiple times in September as the club has used its practice squad to provide game-day depth at linebacker and along the defensive front. The promotion continues a pattern of short-term elevations for depth early in the season.
Running back Ben VanSumeren was signed from the practice squad to the active roster on Sept. 16, and defensive tackle Marcus Harris joined the practice squad on Sept. 2 and received multiple standard elevations in mid-September. Cooper McDonald was placed on the reserve/injured list on Sept. 16, and the team terminated safety Tanner McCalister’s practice squad contract that same day. Those moves reflect the club’s use of short-term signings and elevations to address roster needs.
The transactions log shows a larger roster churn dating to late August and across the offseason. The Chiefs claimed defensive linemen Bryson Eason and Jack Pyburn on Aug. 31 and made numerous practice squad additions that day. A trade with the New York Giants on Aug. 26 brought offensive lineman Joshua Ezeudu to Kansas City, and the team added veterans in the spring, including quarterback Justin Fields on March 18 and tight end Travis Kelce on March 23.
The club waived C.J. Hanson, Chris Oladokun and E.J. Smith with injury designations on Aug. 30, and those players reached injury settlements on Sept. 4. The Chiefs signed tight end Thomas Odukoya to the practice squad via the NFL’s international player pathway program on Sept. 4. A wave of roster terminations and practice squad signings on Aug. 30 and 31 reflected the team’s trimming to regular-season limits, and the transactions page shows the Chiefs continuing to manage roster flexibility through standard elevations, practice squad signings and waiver activity.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Chiefs have relied on their practice squad as a rotating source of depth, repeatedly using standard elevations for players such as Cole Christiansen and others along the defensive front. With Cooper McDonald on the reserve/injured list and multiple short-term signings and releases in late August and September, the club is preserving roster flexibility while addressing immediate needs. The mix of offseason veteran additions and in-season practice squad activity underscores the front office’s approach to balancing experienced signings with developmental depth.