It’s officially roster cutdown day in the NFL, which means that we’ll soon know the final 53 players who will be on the Kansas City Chiefs and other teams around the league. There are always surprises and we’ve already seen the Chiefs begin trimming down at certain positions.
While cuts will be the main talking point of Tuesday, this is also an opportunity for unexpected young players to break through. Kansas City usually has at least one undrafted rookie make the team, and this year should be no different.
In fact, one new report confirms that a preseason standout will officially be on the roster after being part of rookie minicamp tryouts earlier this summer.
Undrafted rookie LB Cooper McDonald has made the #Chiefs’ 53-man roster, per sources.
McDonald signed after a rookie tryout, two weeks after the draft, and now goes from tryout player to active roster.
Another strong find by the Kansas City staff and a great story heading into… pic.twitter.com/EgMDHskAHR
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) August 26, 2025
Undrafted LB Cooper McDonald Makes Chiefs’ 53-Man Roster
According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, the Chiefs are keeping undrafted linebacker Cooper McDonald out of TCU. Buzz grew in recent weeks about the chances of him making the team, and now he’ll be the latest undrafted success story for an organization littered with them.
McDonald began his college career at Washington before transferring to San Diego State and ending with one year at TCU. He had 137 tackles (19 for loss) and eight sacks during the five years, and he figures to be an immediate impact player on special teams. Where he factors into the linebacker rotation isn’t clear, but Kansas City at least now has some quality depth behind Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chenal.
Carson Steele became the undrafted camp darling in 2024 and while he fell out of favor by the end of the year, he was still given every opportunity to earn playing time. The same will be true for McDonald, though he’ll need to first prove himself on special teams under Dave Toub.
For now, we wait to see what players wind up getting cut. That McDonald is on the roster unexpectedly means someone fans expected to make it won’t, and it’s likely that someone on the defensive side of the ball will be the odd man out.
McDonald has strong power and projects as a sound run blocker with some value in coverage. If he can become a rotational linebacker, that’d represent a massive win for a guy who didn’t know if he’d be invited to training camp. Regardless, he’s officially on a roster and should be thrilled about the opportunity.
