Chiefs Activate Two Players for Game Against Chargers

Kansas City brings up a pair of players from its practice squad on Thursday afternoon.

As the Kansas City Chiefs finalize their preparations for a home Week 2 matchup against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers, they're bringing a couple of additions along with them. The team announced via Twitter on Thursday afternoon that kicker Matt Ammendola and cornerback Dicaprio Bootle are being activated from the practice squad via standard elevation.

We have activated the following Practice Squad players via Standard Elevation:

K Matt Ammendola

CB Dicaprio Bootle

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Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 2:40 p.m. CST

Ammendola, who was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad following him winning a six-man kicker derby hosted by the team earlier in the week, will be kicking in place of usual starter Harrison Butker. Butker suffered a left ankle sprain in Kansas City's season opener in Glendale against the Arizona Cardinals, and the team officially ruled him out for Thursday night's game on Wednesday. Ammendola, 25, kicked in 11 games with the New York Jets last season and converted on 13 of his 19 field goal attempts (68.4%) while going 14-of-15 on extra point conversions (93.3%). 

Bootle, who played in three games with the Chiefs last year and has been around the organization since going undrafted in 2021, was waived near the end of August as Kansas City cut down its roster to 53 players in accordance with the NFL's deadline. Bootle, along with Ammendola and wide receiver Corey Coleman, was signed to the Chiefs' practice squad on Tuesday and will now be sent up on Thursday. Bootle has eight career tackles, all with Kansas City. With starting cornerback Trent McDuffie now on the injured reserve list, the Chiefs will be counting on their youth and depth to slow down the Chargers' lethal offensive attack.

Players activated from the practice squad via standard elevation are allowed to bring their respective team's roster total from 53 to 55, as clubs are permitted to activate up to two players if they so choose. Players can go through the standard elevation procedure only three times for games in one season. The Chiefs added linebackers Elijah Lee and Jack Cochrane earlier in the week, although they were tacked onto the active roster total.