CM #44

Cooper McDonald

Linebacker · TCU

A three-school college journeyman, McDonald turned a rookie minicamp tryout into a spot on the Chiefs' 53-man roster.

Cooper McDonald's path to Kansas City ran through Washington, San Diego State and TCU before he earned a contract off a successful tryout at the Chiefs' 2025 rookie minicamp. He stuck as a special teams contributor, a testament to the versatility he showed bouncing between programs in college.

★ Made Chiefs' 53-man roster as an undrafted tryout signee

★ 289 special teams snaps in 2025, third on the team

Path to the league

McDonald began his college career at Washington in 2020, becoming a starting linebacker by 2021 with 25 tackles and a sack in 10 starts. He transferred to San Diego State for the 2022 and 2023 seasons before finishing his career at TCU in 2024, where he posted three sacks and four tackles for loss over nine games. He went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft but earned a contract with Kansas City after a strong showing at rookie minicamp.

Career highlights

McDonald's college career was defined by adaptability, starting at three different Power Four programs across five seasons. His best statistical years came at San Diego State, where he started all 12 games in 2023 and posted 43 tackles. That production, combined with his size at 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, was enough to convince the Chiefs to bring him in for a look.

2025 season recap

McDonald made Kansas City's 53-man roster as an undrafted rookie, a notable achievement given he arrived off a tryout rather than a drafted or heavily pursued free agent deal. He appeared in all 17 games, ranking third on the team in special teams snaps with 289, and recorded 25 total tackles on the year.