The Chiefs are coming out of their Week 5 bye with the kind of timing every contender wants: rested bodies, a clearer injury picture, and a few possible reinforcements on the way. Omarr Norman-Lott is still the headliner for many in Chiefs Kingdom, since he’s eligible to come off the physically unable to play list at any point. But another return candidate is sitting a little further under the radar.
Cooper McDonald could be back in the mix soon, and his timeline lines up neatly with the team’s return to work ahead of a home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. McDonald went down after Week 1, the Chiefs’ blowout win over the Denver Broncos, and landed on injured reserve on September 16. A knee injury kept him out for the required four weeks, which means his return is now in play.
That matters because the Chiefs’ linebacker group could use help. Drue Tranquill and Nick Bolton both turned in strong performances in the Week 4 road win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but the unit as a whole has had trouble in coverage. Opposing offenses have found too many matchups they like, and the lack of depth behind the starters has made those issues easier to attack.
For now, Jack Cochrane has been the main backup option, and there’s no denying what he brings on special teams. When the snaps move to defense, though, the fit gets shaky fast.
Jeffrey Bassa also remains something of a puzzle, especially in his second season, because he hasn’t seen the kind of playing time many expected. Cochrane knows all three linebacker spots in the base defense, but McDonald’s return could at least make it harder for the Chiefs to keep leaning on him when younger options are available.
At the same time, McDonald’s comeback may not suddenly change the pecking order. Kansas City has already kept Bassa out of the rotation for the most part, and McDonald only got special teams reps in the season opener. Even after spending much of their rookie year in a watch-and-learn role, neither player has been turned loose much in year two, either.
That’s where the frustration creeps in for fans. The Chiefs wanted more speed at every level of the defense, and in many ways they’ve gotten it.
Still, it’s hard to ignore the mismatch problem when offenses keep targeting Cochrane and the younger linebackers remain parked on the sideline. Bassa, especially, seems to be the one supporters keep waiting to see with a real role.
It’s worth remembering, though, that neither Bassa nor McDonald arrived with starting expectations. Bassa was a fifth-round pick, McDonald went undrafted, and special teams was always supposed to be the main job description for both. That still may be the case, even if linebacker depth looks thinner down the line after Leo Chenal left in free agency for the Washington Commanders in 2026.
As Kansas City gets back on the practice field for the Chargers, the injury updates should start coming in from Arrowhead. McDonald is one to watch, even if the expectation level stays modest. Getting him back would help, but how much Steve Spagnuolo actually uses him is another question entirely.
In Other News...
Chiefs Have A Next-Wave Opportunity Fans Should Be Watching
The Chiefs head into their early bye at 4-0, and a lot of the attention around them is turning from the record to the players who could matter even more once the season restarts. Through the first four games, Kansas City has already gotten useful contributions from several younger pieces, but there is also a sense that a few of them are only beginning to show what they can add as the schedule tightens and roles become clearer.
Jalen Royals is part of that conversation on the offensive side, while Alohi Gilman, Ashton Gillotte and Peter Woods each fit the kind of developmental track Kansas City often leans on over a long season. Their early-season work has given the coaching staff a baseline, but the more interesting question now is which of them can turn that into a bigger impact when the Chiefs come out of the bye. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Rookie Cyrus Allen Suddenly Has A Real Chance To Matter
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Now the picture looks different. Injuries have thinned the receiver room, and Andy Reid has signaled Allen should work into the mix more moving forward, giving the Chiefs a young pass catcher a chance to move from developmental piece to actual contributor. Allen and Patrick Mahomes have both talked like the opportunity is coming, and for a player who has been easy to overlook so far, the next stretch could decide whether his early hype starts turning into something real. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Fans Keep Having The Same Harrison Butker Debate For A Reason
Whenever the Chiefs run into kicking questions, the conversation seems to drift back to Harrison Butker, and for good reason. He has been one of the most reliable specialists of his era, piling up big moments in the playoffs and sitting near the top of the league in field goals made since 2017, which is why his name keeps surfacing whenever Kansas Citys margin for error gets thin.
The debate is never just about one type of kick, either. Butkers overall track record has been strong enough to keep him in the center of the discussion, even if his extra point work has not always matched the same standard, and the Chiefs have just seen how quickly a kicker can lose his footing after the latest roster move at the position. For a team that has lived through plenty of close games, that kind of consistency is exactly why this conversation refuses to go away. [Read more 🡒]