The Kansas City Chiefs just started training camp three days ago, but have already lost a promising defender and strong roster candidate to what will likely be a season-ending injury.
The team reported that linebacker Ethan Downs was knocked out of Saturday’s opening of training camp after suffering what was then an unspecified injury. The team got another update on Tuesday, with Downs suffering a knee injury that will likely knock him out for the rest of the season.
Ethan Downs Out for Months After Knee Injury
As reporter Matt Derrick shared in a post on X, the team diagnosed Downs with a torn ACL.
“Chiefs DE Ethan Downs torn the ACL in his left knee, per source,” the report noted. “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.”
After coming into the NFL as an undrafted free agent with the Jacksonville Jaguars last season, Downs missed final cuts and signed with the Chiefs’ practice squad. He was called up to the active roster in December and showed promise as a depth edge rusher.
AtoZ Sports reporter Charles Goldman predicted Downs would take another step forward this season, naming him as a under-the-radar candidate to make the final 53-man roster.
“There’s 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.”
While the fastest end of the ACL rehab could see Downs return early in 2027, the injury will likely keep him out for the remainder of this season.
Ethan Downs Injury Could Give Opportunity to Another Undrafted Free Agent
The injury to Downs could create an opening on the 53-man roster, with another undrafted free agent in good position to fill it. The Chiefs signed Duke edge rusher Vincent “VJ” Andreson after the NFL draft, with the team’s official website sharing praise for the 6-foot-6, 259-pound edgd rusher.
“Anthony appeared in 49 games (with 41 starts) over the last four seasons at Duke, logging 103 tackles, 29 tackles-for-loss, 15 sacks, eight passes defensed and a forced fumble,” the team noted.
“He finished his collegiate career by playing his best football, too, as he led the Blue Devils in sacks and tackles-for-loss in 2025. He posted an impressive performance at the NFL Scouting Combine as well, recording the sixth-best broad jump (10 feet, 3 inches) among all edge-rushers at the event.”
The team added that Anthony earned praise from analyst Dane Brugler of The Athletic, who noted that the former Duke pass-rusher has some strong attributes.
“Anthony has a long, slender frame, with the rush juice and quick hands to work through the edges of blockers…He plays long with a rush arsenal that continues to ascend,” Brugler wrote.
Chiefs Lost Promising Edge Rusher to Season-Ending Injury at First Practice