Kansas City Chiefs make a flurry of roster moves to finalize initial practice squad ahead of Week 1 tilt with Los Angeles Chargers

The Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad now features a full 17 players for the first time following 53-man roster cuts.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the Chiefs had only officially added 14 players. Two of the outside players reported to have signed with the team — Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Brodric Martin — hadn't yet been formally added to the team. That all changed on Thursday, when the Chiefs made a flurry of roster moves related to the practice squad.

You might recall our previous story about the team hosting several players on free agent visits. Each of those players signed with the team, while they released DT Coziah Izzard and WR Hal Presley from the practice squad. The Chiefs also promoted TE Robert Tonyan to the 53-man roster with WR Rashee Rice now on the Reserve/Suspended list.

Chiefs' Initial Practice Squad Revealed

1. OT Chu Godrick (exempt)*
2. S Mike Edwards
3. RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire 
4. QB Chris Oladokun 
5. FB Carson Steele 
6. DT Brodric Martin 
7. OL C.J. Hanson 
8. CB Kevin Knowles 
9. CB Melvin Smith 
10. DT Marlon Tuipulotu 
11. WR Jimmy Holiday
12. LB Cole Christiansen
13. TE Tre Watson 
14. DT Zacch Pickens
15. DE Ethan Downs
16. S Jammie Robinson
17. DE Tyreke Smith

*Godrick is exempt from the practice squad as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway Program (IPP).

What do the latest additions signal about the 2025 Chiefs roster?

The move to sign Pickens and Martin makes a whole lot of sense when you consider Chiefs GM Brett Veach's recent comments about the situation surrounding the defensive tackle position, Mike Pennel, and Derrick Nnadi. The former top-100 draft pick with the Chicago Bears is just 25 years old, while the former top-100 draft pick for the Detroit Lions is just 26 years old.

"So, I think that was one position group we were trying to continually get deeper, get younger, get more athletic, and most of the time those guys are different names and different positions," Veach said. "I think when it came to Derrick (Nnadi), probably a similar level of play from what we’ve seen, but both those guys have over the years played and helped us out in games. But I do think you take into consideration, just the length of the season. I mean, both guys are older and veterans, but Derrick is five years younger. Derrick did, I think, have a streak of – I mean, when he played here the last four years, he was a 17-game player each of those four or five years. So, I think if you had to do a slight edge, it was just four, five years younger, and the guy has played a lot of reps. . . But two of the more prominent names at that position, Brodric Martin and Zacch Pickens, you know, put the full-court press and got to have those guys and Marlon (Tuipulotu) here for now. So, that’s just a position that we’re kind of hyperfocused on and trying to get that competition better and get more consistency.”

The Chiefs' decision to bring back RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire alongside FB Carson Steele is a bit perplexing, given that they've got some serious long-term needs at the position. Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and Elijah Mitchell are all free agents following the 2025 NFL season.

Another concern is the offensive line position. The Chiefs have just nine O-Linemen on the 53-man roster, two on the practice squad, and one on the Reserve/NFI list. I would've felt a lot better about this position group had they not lost Esa Pole to the Jets.