The Kansas City Chiefs saw a casualty at their first official practice of training camp, watching a young linebacker get knocked out under some difficult conditions.
Linebacker Ethan Downs is looking to build on his strong performance to end the 2025 season as he vies for a roster spot, but was reportedly knocked out of practice on Saturday with an unspecified injury. It’s not clear if Downs will miss any more time, but any extended injury could be a major setback for his chances to make the team.
Ethan Downs Knocked Out of Practice With Injury
The Chiefs opened training camp in part on Saturday, with rookies and quarterbacks reporting along with some other select players. Videos showed the team going through drills with no pads, with temperatures on the field nearing 100 degrees.
Reporter Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star noted that Downs went out during the first practice on Saturday, which was otherwise headlined by the return of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“The Chiefs are wrapping up their first workout in St. Joseph. Ethan Downs left early with an injury,” McDowell wrote in a post on X.
Ethan Downs Earned Good Reviews Last Season
Downs came into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season. He was waived in August as part of the team’s final roster cuts, but joined the Chiefs the following day on their practice squad. He earned a promotion to the active roster in December.
Downs, who lines up at both defensive end and outside linebacker, was named as one of the team’s “under-the-radar” candidates to make the final 53-man roster by AtoZ Sports reporter Charles Goldman.
“Thereâs a lot of talk about the pass-rusher competition heading into camp,” Goldman wrote. “Downs feels like the logical option to emerge behind guys like Ashton Gillotte, R Mason Thomas, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah. The former UDFA out of the University of Oklahoma spent the majority of last season on the practice squad in Kansas City before being promoted to the active roster late in the year.”
Goldman added that Downs has a good combination of size and skills and showed last season that he can be a solid contributor both on defense and special teams.
“Heâs viewed as a bit of a hybrid player by the Chiefsâ staff, with the ability to play off-ball, on the line, and on special teams.” Goldman wrote. “At 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, heâs got the requisite size for Steve Spagnuolo. He only played 11 defensive snaps last season in Week 18 against the Las Vegas Raiders. However, he forced a fumble on special teams in that game, which was recovered by Jack Cochrane.”
Downs also earned some buzz coming out of Oklahoma last year, with NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein predicting he could grow into a solid backup and special teams contributor.
“He plays with a strong base and is tougher than leather at the point of attack, but he lacks length and has a hard time getting off of blocks,” Zierlein wrote. “His rush is fueled by effort and bend, but heâs not quick enough to beat tackles to the edge and sees his rush stall out by long tackles who strike and cinch him up. Downs is tough like a five-technique, but he might need to align wide in an even front or stand as a strong-side 3-4 outside linebacker.”
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