The Kansas City Chiefs were just getting training camp rolling when they took a hit on defense.
Defensive end Ethan Downs has torn his ACL, according to Chiefs Digest’s Matt Derrick. Downs hurt his left knee a few days earlier as rookies and quarterbacks reported ahead of the veterans to St.
Joseph for camp at Missouri State Western University. The injury is expected to put him on injured reserve, though the Chiefs have not made any official roster move yet.
Downs, 23, came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2025. The Jacksonville Jaguars signed him after the draft, then waived him when active roster cuts arrived. Kansas City picked him up for its practice squad two days later, and he later worked his way onto the active roster on Christmas Eve.
He got into one game for the Chiefs and made the most of it, finishing with five tackles and a forced fumble while contributing on defense and special teams. At Oklahoma, Downs was a three-year starter from 2022 to 2024, earned second-team All-Big 12 honors twice, and piled up 32 career tackles for loss along with 12.5 sacks.
Downs signed a two-year, $1.845 million deal with Kansas City. If the Chiefs choose to keep him sidelined for the season and see what he can become later, he is scheduled to be an exclusive rights free agent in 2027, giving the team control for at least another year.
Derrick also pointed out that Downs had been a strong candidate to stick on the back end of the roster at edge rusher. With that path now cleared, names like Tyreke Smith and rookie free agents VJ Anthony and Anthony Dunn have a little more room to make their case.
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