The Kansas City Chiefs just caught unfortunate news at the pass-rusher position via the injury to Ethan Downs, rendering what was already a deficiency heading into this offseason an even weaker group as training camp ramps up.
Downs tore his left ACL during the team’s opening practice, according to a report from Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest.
“Chiefs DE Ethan Downs [tore] the ACL in his left knee, per source,” Derrick posted to X on Tuesday, July 28. “Downs was a strong candidate to make the roster as depth at edge-rusher as well as a multiple-phase special teams player. He and R Mason Thomas were teammates at Oklahoma.”
Downs was an undrafted rookie in 2025 who caught on with the Jacksonville Jaguars before eventually landing in Kansas City. He appeared in one game for the Chiefs last regular season, lining up for 11 defensive snaps along with 22 special teams snaps over the course of the year.
Downs’ injury opens up a spot on the roster for a veteran edge-rusher who can add to a group that is thin even before the end of the starting lineup, which could justify a swing on a player like Jadeveon Clowney who could either start or serve as a specialist on pass-rush downs.
Jadeveon Clowney Can Offer Chiefs Pass-Rush Juice on Value Contract Next Season
GettyFree agent pass-rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
Clowney is a three-time Pro Bowler with 66.5 career sacks. He played 13 games for the Dallas Cowboys last season, tallying 12 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks.
Clowney will play the upcoming campaign at 33 years old and has a projected market value of $5.7 million, according to Spotrac, which should render him inexpensive enough for Kansas City to afford.
In 2025, Clowney appeared on just 373 defensive snaps, though he lined up for more than 600 snaps on defense in four of the six seasons previous and still has enough juice to offer Kansas City value on a one-year contract.
Adding Jadeveon Clowney Could Free Up Chiefs to Trade Felix Anudike-Uzomah
GettyKansas City Chiefs defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah.
Kansas City has two bonafide pocket disruptors starting on the defensive line, one on the edge in George Karlaftis and one up the middle with defensive tackle Chris Jones.
But the Chiefs knew that was not enough, which is why the team drafted the aforementioned Thomas in Round 2 to provide some speed off the edge. He could potentially work his way into the starting lineup at some point during his rookie campaign, as first-round bust and possible trade candidate Felix Anudike-Uzomah is likely the only player who stands between Thomas and a starting role.
Anudike-Uzomah, just 24, was the No. 31 overall pick out of Kansas State in the 2023 NFL draft and has one year remaining on his $11.8 million rookie contract. The Chiefs already decided not to pick up his fifth-year option in 2027, which means Anudike-Uzomah will be an unrestricted free agent next March unless something drastic changes this year.
If Thomas shows out in training camp, proving he is good enough to be the DE2 or DE3 in time for Week 1, then Kansas City might decide to capitalize on whatever minimal trade value Anudike-Uzomah still possesses. The Chiefs could deal him for a Day 3 draft pick and bring Clowney into the mix, lining him up alongside Karlaftis and Thomas as the top three defensive ends on Kansas City’s defense.
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