Chiefs Cut Ties With Ex-Falcons Running Back Before Seahawks Game

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The Kansas City Chiefs have parted ways with a former Atlanta Falcons running back before their showdown against the Seattle Seahawks.

The Kansas City Chiefs, the last undefeated team in the AFC, will try to make it a perfect six wins in a row to start the season when they travel to Seattle to take on the Super Bowl champion Seahawks on NBC’s Sunday Night Football on Oct. 25.

Before facing Seattle, however, the Chiefs announced a pair of depth moves aimed at strengthening their defense, cutting ties with a former Atlanta Falcons running back in the process.

The Chiefs terminated the contract of practice squad running back Nate Carter, allowing them to sign linebacker Aiden Fisher, who won a national championship last season with the Indiana Hoosiers.

Fisher was playing for Houston last week, and Carter had been in Kansas City since Sept. 1. So why make the swap now?

The Chiefs terminated Carter’s practice squad contract to open a spot for Fisher, according to Chiefs Digest reporter Matt Derrick. Two other moves were also announced: linebacker Cam Jones was waived and linebacker Cooper McDonald was designated to return to practice, according to the Chiefs in a team post to social media.

Aiden Fisher’s Kansas City Chiefs Practice Squad Signing

Fisher, 22, was born Dec. 23, 2003, and attended Riverbend High School in Virginia. He is listed at 6-foot-1 and 231 pounds.

He started at James Madison, where he made 108 tackles in 2023. Then he followed his coach there, Curt Cignetti, to Indiana and piled up 215 tackles, 16 for loss and six sacks over 28 games. His college totals came to 328 tackles in 51 games.

Indiana won the national championship last season, with Fisher an All-American on that team, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz.

Houston drafted him in the seventh round, 243rd overall, in 2026. He made the 53-man roster and played three games, all on special teams, with one tackle on 38 snaps. The Texans released him last week for returning injured players.

Fisher also lands among familiar faces. Tackle Kahlil Benson started 12 games at right tackle for those Hoosiers, according to the Chiefs.com rookie report.

Nate Carter’s Exit From the Kansas City Chiefs

Carter, 24, was born May 22, 2002, in Rochester, New York, and starred at Bishop Kearney High School, according to Michigan State’s official biography. He ran for 983 yards in two seasons at UConn before transferring to the Spartans.

In East Lansing, he led the team with 798 yards and four touchdowns in 2023, then added 499 yards and five scores in 2024.

Undrafted in 2025, Carter signed with the Atlanta Falcons and played in seven games, gaining 60 yards on nine carries. Kansas City signed him Sept. 1.

Practice squads hold 16 players plus one exempt international spot, according to A to Z Sports practice squad tracker, meaning that Fisher needed to fill an opening.

Carter’s position group was already stocked. Kenneth Walker III, Emmett Johnson and Brashard Smith are on the 53-man roster, and Jaydn Ott remains on the practice squad, Goldman reported when Carter signed.

The linebacker room is moving too. McDonald, sidelined since a Week 1 knee injury, could return against Seattle this week. Jones, waived as the corresponding move, played 15 special teams snaps against the Chargers. Fisher logged 38 in Houston.

Kickoff against the Seahawks is set for 5:20 p.m. PT (8:20 p.m. ET) on Sunday.