The Kansas City Chiefs look to keep their undefeated record alive after a 22-6 drubbing of the Los Angeles Chargers last week. But they’ll have to do it in front of a national TV audience against the defending Super Bowl champions on the road.
The Chiefs travel to Seattle to take on the 3-3 Seahawks on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, and they face the challenge without running back Brashard Smith.
But the day before the game, the Chiefs added a new running back who would be in line for his NFL debut if he gets in the game on Sunday.
Kansas City signed running back Jaydn Ott to the active roster Saturday, one day before their Sunday night game in Seattle, according to a Chiefs announcement early Saturday afternoon.
The move fills the spot opened when Smith went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury, which puts Ott in line for his first NFL game at Lumen Field.
| KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — 2026 SCHEDULE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WK | Date | Opponent | H/A | Time / Result | TV / W-L |
| 1 | Mon, Sep 14 | Denver Broncos | Home | W 31-10 | 1-0 |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | Indianapolis Colts | Home | W 33-30 OT | 2-0 |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | @ Miami Dolphins | Away | W 24-10 | 3-0 |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | @ Las Vegas Raiders | Away | W 30-27 | 4-0 |
| WK 5 — BYE WEEK | |||||
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | Los Angeles Chargers | Home | W 22-6 | 5-0 |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | @ Seattle Seahawks | Away | 8:20 PM | NBC |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ Denver Broncos | Away | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | New York Jets | Home | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | @ Atlanta Falcons | Away | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 | Arizona Cardinals | Home | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 12 | Thu, Nov 26 | @ Buffalo Bills | Away | 5:20 PM | NBC |
| 13 | Thu, Dec 3 | @ Los Angeles Rams | Away | 5:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Cincinnati Bengals | Away | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 15 | Mon, Dec 21 | New England Patriots | Home | 5:15 PM | ESPN / ABC |
| 16 | Sun, Dec 27 | San Francisco 49ers | Home | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 17 | TBD — Flex Game | @ Los Angeles Chargers | Away | TBD | TBD |
| 18 | TBD — Flex Game | Las Vegas Raiders | Home | TBD | TBD |
| All times Eastern. Home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO. Bye in Week 5. Weeks 17 and 18 are flex games — dates and broadcasts TBD. | |||||
Why the Kansas City Chiefs Signed Jaydn Ott Now
Smith was limited in practice Thursday and sat out Friday before the Chiefs ruled him out, according to Football Nation. He has played in three games this season, catching one pass for 4 yards, and he trails Nikko Remigio on both return depth charts.
A seventh-round pick out of SMU in 2025, Smith ran 12 times for 56 yards in last season’s finale against the Las Vegas Raiders, according to Chiefs.com. He also handled nine returns over the final two weeks of that season, three on kickoffs and six on punts.
Placing Smith on injured reserve opened a full roster spot. That allowed Kansas City to sign Ott outright to the 53-man roster rather than elevate him from the practice squad for a single game.
Ott steps into the third running back job behind Kenneth Walker III and Emmett Johnson. Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP who signed with Kansas City as a free agent in March after four seasons in Seattle who drafted him 41st overall in 2022, leads the NFL with 665 rushing yards on 106 carries, a 6.3-yard average and six touchdowns.
Johnson, the No. 161 overall pick in the 2026 draft, topped the Big Ten with 1,451 rushing yards at Nebraska last season, according to McMullen.
Pass protection looms as a test for any reserve back Sunday. Seattle has 16 sacks through six games, and Kansas City will play without right tackle Jaylon Moore, who was ruled out with a concussion.
Jaydn Ott’s Path to the Kansas City Chiefs
Ott, 23, is a Chino, California, native who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 208 pounds, according to CBS Sports.
He rushed for 2,587 yards and 24 touchdowns in three seasons at California and earned All-America honors in 2022 and 2023. His 2023 season produced 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns on 245 carries, plus first-team All-Pac-12 recognition, according to On3.
Ott also returned kickoffs for the Golden Bears, averaging nearly 22 yards per return and taking one 100 yards for a touchdown in 2023. He appeared on Bruce Feldman’s annual “Freaks List” after squatting 485 pounds and bench-pressing 370.
The Golden Bears rusher transferred to Oklahoma for 2025 but managed 21 carries for 68 yards in seven games. A shoulder issue entering that season limited him to meaningful snaps in only two games, according to CBS Sports.
The Chiefs signed him as an undrafted free agent May 1. He reunited with running backs coach DeMarco Murray, who coached him at Oklahoma before joining Kansas City’s staff in February.
Ott played in all three preseason games, and he got a 27-yard reception. The Chiefs waived him at final roster cuts and signed him to the practice squad the next day, according to CBS Sports.
He has never been on a 53-man roster before Saturday and has no regular-season games played in the NFL.
Kickoff at Lumen Field is set for 8:20 p.m. EDT on NBC.
Chiefs Add Former Cal 1,300-Yard Rusher Jaydn Ott Before Seahawks Game