Arrowhead Pride
After being eliminated from postseason contention last month, the offseason officially began for the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday. The NFL’s official transaction report noted several minor moves for the team the day after it took a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders to close the season.
Most notably, the team waived quarterback Shane Buechele. Buechele entered the league with Kansas City in 2021 as an undrafted free agent out of SMU. After two seasons with the team, he moved on to the Buffalo Bills in 2023. The Chiefs poached Buechele from Buffalo’s practice squad on December 22 after losing backup quarterback Gardner Minshew to a season-ending knee injury.
Buechele made his NFL debut on Sunday in Las Vegas, completing seven passes for 88 yards after starting the second half. If he clears waivers, he will be able to rejoin the Bills — or sign with any other team still alive in the playoffs.
The Chiefs also signed four members of their practice squad to Reserve/Future contracts: wide receiver Jimmy Holiday, tackle Matt Waletzko, linebacker Kam Arnold and defensive tackle Marcus Harris. These contracts become official at the start of the league year on March 11. The agreements rarely contain any guaranteed money — and such players are often cut as teams fill needs in free agency and April’s draft.
Holiday — who received a contract after trying out for the team at rookie minicamp in May — was on and off the team’s practice squad all season. The Louisiana Tech product was elevated and made his NFL debut against the Raiders on Sunday, recording one offensive snap.
Waletzko was a fifth-round selection from North Dakota by the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, but his career in Dallas was severely impacted by shoulder injuries. He signed with Kansas City’s practice squad on December 3 and was elevated for the Chiefs’ Week 16 and Week 17 games.
Arnold and Harris signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad on December 30. Arnold signed with the Washington Commanders as an undrafted free agent out of Boston College last spring. Harris — who played for both Kansas and Auburn — was a seventh-round selection of the Houston Texans in 2024.
The Chiefs also released safety Tanner McCalister from the practice squad on Monday. The former Ohio State Buckeye signed with Kansas City on December 16.
As injuries mounted in a lost season, the Chiefs had already signed a number of players from their practice squad to the active roster. Per the contract website Spotrac, these former practice squad players are already under contract for 2026 after being promoted in-season: quarterback Chris Oladokun, tackles Esa Pole and Chukwuebuka Godrick, guard C.J. Hanson, defensive end Ethan Downs, linebacker Tyreke Smith, nose tackle Zacch Pickens and cornerbacks Kevin Knowles and Melvin Smith.
The following players ended the season on the Chiefs’ practice squad and currently are unsigned for 2026: guard Nick Broeker, wide receiver Jason Brownlee, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, defensive end Malik Herring, fullback Carson Steele, defensive...
