Aug 22, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs assistant head coach Dave Toub walks on field against the Chicago Bears prior to a game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Chiefs Bring Back Vital Linebacker As Unrestricted Free Agent

Originally posted on Kansas City Chiefs on SI
By Zak Gilbert | Last updated Mar 21, 2026 7:00 AM ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Two out of three ain’t bad.

Two of Dave Toub’s best special-teams players are returning to the Chiefs after the team re-signed linebacker Jack Cochrane on Friday. Kansas City’s special-teams coordinator lost Leo Chenal to Washington, so returning Cochrane is an important move.

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A 6-3, 236-pound linebacker out of South Dakota, Cochrane joined Chenal and rookie Cooper McDonald among the highest-scoring individuals in Toub’s internal points system last season. While McDonald led the team in special-teams tackles with 18, Cochrane finished second with 11.

Two holding calls at Jacksonville

Cochrane also recovered a fumble on a fourth-quarter kickoff in the season-finale at Las Vegas, setting up a go-ahead field goal. An unrestricted free agent, he opted to return to the Chiefs on Friday. And despite getting nailed for two holding calls in the team’s Week 5 loss at Jacksonville, Cochrane in a Chiefs uniform is a significant step in the right direction.

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“I'll tell you this,” Toub said after that Oct. 6 loss to the Jaguars, “Jack Cochrane is one of our best players. He's a world champion, and he’s matched up against the best player every week. He's one of our best guys. So, he was blocking their best guy. And it's a tough job.

“Sometimes, you're going to get that call. After the first one, maybe they were watching a little bit more on the second one, I don't know. But I mean, it happened.”

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Cochrane had three holding calls all season – curiously all in Monday night games. After those two flags in the 31-28 loss at Jacksonville, he got called again in the Week 8 win over Washington.

“I mean, I've seen those calls not called, too,” Toub explained. “So, it's the way it is. I mean, last year we beat people and they complained about the officials. We're not complaining about the officials. That's just the way it is. I mean, we just have to bounce back, and we'll be fine.”

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Consistent in kicking game

Consistently among Toub’s best players since he entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2022, Cochrane played a career-high 81 percent of special-teams snaps in 2025. Since Brett Veach signed him after the ’22 draft, Cochrane has seen 1,237 special-teams plays in four years.

An occasional starter on defense, Cochrane played just 61 defensive snaps for the Chiefs. He started the Week 16 loss at Tennessee in place of an injured Chenal. All told, Cochrane has 62 career tackles (36 solo), with two for loss, two passes defensed and one fumble recovery in 64 regular-season NFL games.

He also played a quiet but important role in the Chiefs’ three consecutive Super Bowl berths over his first three NFL seasons.