Chiefs place Brashard Smith on IR and sign Jaydn Ott to the 53-man roster

The Kansas City Chiefs placed running back Brashard Smith on injured reserve Saturday with a hamstring injury, a day after ruling him out for Sunday night's game at Seattle. The move, posted by Pro Football Talk and the team's beat reporters, means Smith misses at least the next four games.

What is confirmed

Smith goes to IR with the hamstring injury that kept him out of the Week 7 game. In his place, Kansas City signed running back Jaydn Ott from the practice squad to the active roster. Ott went undrafted out of Oklahoma this year and has not played in a regular-season game.

The Chiefs also activated linebacker Cooper McDonald off injured reserve. McDonald played in Week 1 and has been out with a knee injury since.

Kansas City beat writer Matt Derrick added that wide receiver Justin Watson was elevated from the practice squad for Sunday's game.

What it means for the backfield

The IR stint takes Smith off the field through at least the next four games. Ott's promotion gives Kansas City another body at running back, but he has no regular-season track record yet, so his workload on Sunday night is an open question.

The Chiefs are already thin on offense this week, with Rashee Rice ruled out for a second straight game.

What RSO owners should do now

If Smith is on your roster, move him to an IR slot as soon as your league shows the designation. That frees an active spot without cutting him, which matters if you have him on a cheap multi-year deal.

Ott is a deep-league flier only. A minimum, one-year bid makes sense if you have an open spot and want to see whether he earns snaps, but nothing he has done yet justifies a real contract.

What to watch next

Watch the Chiefs' inactive list about 90 minutes before Sunday night's kickoff in Seattle, then the running back snap split once the game starts. Smith's earliest return comes after four missed games, so check back on his status as that window nears.