The Kansas City Chiefs received an injury scare Friday when a $6.7 million pass rusher was forced to leave practice early.
The circumstances surrounding his exit put the focus on the severity of the injury and whether it could affect his availability moving forward.
That pass rusher is Ashton Gillotte, who strained his hamstring during Day 3 of camp at Missouri Western State University and didn’t finish the Chiefs’ third full-team session of the summer. Head coach Andy Reid called it minor.
The exit thins an already stretched Kansas City Chiefs edge rusher room, one already dented by an injury to Ethan Downs.
“We had one injury with (Ashton) Gillotte. He had a strained hamstring. So, we’re just checking that out. We got him out of there. He’ll start his rehab and MRI and all of that stuff. Don’t think it’s too bad,” Reid said Friday, as quoted by A to Z Sports’ Charles Goldman.
Multiple Chiefs beat reporters relayed the same account within minutes of Reid’s press session. Matt Derrick wrote on social media that Reid “says they don’t think it’s too bad,” adding that Felix Anudike-Uzomah “stepped up in his place,” a detail echoed separately by ESPN’s Nate Taylor and the Kansas City Star‘s Pete Sweeney.
Anudike-Uzomah Steps Up as Gillotte Exits
Anudike-Uzomah, the 2023 first-round pick who missed all of last season with his own hamstring injury, slid into the starting lineup opposite George Karlaftis. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo had already flagged him a day earlier for a standout rep.
“Getting Felix back has been pretty important, especially with the fact that (LB) Ethan (Downs) got dinged,” Spagnuolo said, as quoted by A to Z Sports. “In my mind, Felix made one really good play today in the run game, and let’s hope he can do that, get over the injury issues and be a factor for us.”
“Felix is actually doing a nice job,” Reid added. “Looks like his get-off explosion is better, and you know we’ll see once the pads get on and going. But yeah, he’s shown us some things here,” according to Goldman.
What Ashton Gillotte’s Injury Means for Chiefs’ Defense
Gillotte’s absence, even a brief one, lands at a sensitive spot. After Kansas City let Charles Omenihu and Mike Danna walk this offseason, Gillotte and Karlaftis had been penciled in as the starting edge duo for 2026, according to Chiefs On SI, which slotted Gillotte 24th on Kansas City’s top 25 players for the season, calling him one of the unit’s more important pieces.
Gillotte earned a 48.7 pass-rush grade from Pro Football Focus as a rookie, ranking 114th out of 115 qualified edge defenders. Run defense, not pass pressure, has been his best area so far.
Kansas City took Gillotte in the third round, 66th overall, in the 2025 NFL Draft, a selection that came from the L’Jarius Sneed trade with Tennessee. He signed a four-year rookie contract worth $6.74 million, with $1.545 million fully guaranteed, and isn’t scheduled for unrestricted free agency until 2029, according to Over The Cap.
As a rookie out of Louisville, Gillotte played all 17 games, posting 1.5 sacks, 37 tackles and an interception, mostly in a rotational role behind Kansas City’s starters.
Reid’s Friday assessment sounded positive, but hamstring strains can be dicey, and Gillotte’s MRI results will determine whether his absence stretches beyond a few practices.
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