Cooper McDonald walked into Chiefs training camp sounding like a linebacker who finally has the picture in focus.
That matters. For a player trying to carve out a real role in Kansas City, the difference between surviving and thriving often shows up in how fast the game starts to feel. McDonald said that part has already changed for him as he enters his second season.
"Last year was about making the squad, trying to do everything I could to make the team," McDonald said. "This year I was talking to my brother, and I was like, this training camp compared to last, everything is slowed down, you know, starting to know the playbook, picking it up well, out here competing with everyone."
McDonald made that leap the hard way. A tryout signing out of TCU, he came in as a rookie free agent trying to hold on long enough to get through camp.
He did more than that. He earned a spot on the Chiefs’ initial 53-man roster, played in all 17 games as a key special teams contributor, and finished the season with a bigger defensive role, including his first start in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos.
Now the challenge is different. Instead of just hanging on, he’s trying to push forward.
One thing helping him do that is the presence of Nick Bolton, who has become a steady guide as McDonald continues to sort through Steve Spagnuolo’s system.
“I actually sit next to him in meetings, and we'll be watching the film and stuff, and anytime I've got questions I just go straight to Nick right next to me, and he always has an answer for me, always coaching me up," McDonald said. "So Nick's been great for me."
The opportunity in front of McDonald got a little wider this offseason when Leo Chenal left for the Washington Commanders on a three-year deal. With Chenal gone - and with the Chiefs also drafting Ohio State’s Sonny Styles - there’s a notable opening in the linebacker group, and McDonald has been studying the player who occupied that role before him.
"He was an elite player who did a lot for us, and I'm trying to do the same as well"
Cooper McDonald, on Leo Chenal
"Leo is great. I learned a lot from Leo.
I miss that guy especially," McDonald said. "I was actually doing some film study over him this offseason, trying to take little bits and pieces of his game and apply it to my game.
He was an elite player who did a lot for us, and I'm trying to do the same as well."
Still, nothing is being handed to him. Jeffrey Bassa, last year’s fifth-round pick, is back in the mix after waiting for his own opening.
Kam Arnold returns for his second season after signing as a UDFA. And the Chiefs have added another young linebacker in Wesley Bissainthe, a rookie from Miami.
McDonald knows the room will be judged by how hard everyone pushes each other.
"Competition raises the level of play in our room, and I think that's just going to only make us better," McDonald said. "I've got to go earn it first off."
In Other News...
Chiefs Trade Buzz Puts Their Wide Receiver Faith To The Test
The Chiefs wide receiver room is once again under the microscope, and the latest trade idea would try to address it with a familiar kind of swing-for-the-fences move. The proposal has Kansas City sending a fifth-round pick and Kristian Fulton to the Titans in exchange for Calvin Ridley, a deal that would add a proven name to the offense and give the team another option as it weighs how much help the passing game still needs.
Ridleys profile makes the discussion interesting, but it also gives the Chiefs reason to pause. A player of his caliber can change how defenses play, yet any pursuit like this comes with questions about cost, health, and whether Kansas City wants to keep betting on outside reinforcements rather than trusting its current group. No deal has been announced or confirmed, but the speculation alone shows how closely this receiver situation is being watched. [Read more 🡒]
Eric Bieniemys Family Case Took A Troubling Turn Before Trial
What began as a horrifying family crisis for Eric Bieniemy has now moved into a slower, more complicated phase as the court process stalls around Elijah Bieniemys mental health. The son of the Chiefs offensive coordinator was arrested and charged with multiple felonies after a domestic shooting at the familys home in Ashburn, Virginia, an incident in which his mother was shot and survived.
Court proceedings are now on hold while a psychiatric evaluation is completed, a step taken amid reports of long-standing mental health struggles. For a family already dealing with the trauma of the shooting itself, the delay only adds another layer of uncertainty as the case heads toward a future hearing. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Bring Back A Piece Of Arrowhead Fans Never Stopped Loving
For generations of Chiefs fans, Arrowhead Stadium has been more than a place to watch football. It was the backdrop for the franchises biggest moments, the noise, the tailgates and the long stretch of seasons that made it one of the NFLs most recognizable homes. After the venue took on the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium name in 2021, the traditional Arrowhead label never really stopped sounding right to the people who filled it.
Now the Chiefs are bringing that familiar name back as the organization looks ahead to a new chapter in Wyandotte County, Kansas, at the start of the next decade. The timing lands after a rough 2025 season that ended at 6-11 and snapped a playoff streak that had lasted since 2014, with injuries playing a major role, including the season-ending ACL and LCL tear to Patrick Mahomes. For a fan base that has lived through plenty of change, getting Arrowhead back at least restores one piece of the old identity before the next move arrives. [Read more 🡒]