On Friday, the Kansas City Chiefs announced the re-signing of an underrated member of the defense and special teams from over the last four seasons.
Linebacker Jack Cochrane will continue his NFL career in Kansas City after developing into the team’s leader in special-teams snaps in 2025; he finished second on the team in 2024.
Cochrane joined the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in the 2022 draft class after four seasons as a standout defender
for the South Dakota Coyotes. He stood out at his Pro Day with measurables such as a 41-inch vertical jump and 10 feet 4 inches on the broad jump.
The notable athleticism translated to the professional ranks right away. Cochrane made the 53-man roster — in a year where the team had 10 draft picks to fit in — and finished sixth on the team in special-teams snaps (262) during the regular season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Cochrane finished second on the team in special-teams tackles (11) despite playing the most snaps in 2025. Rookie linebacker Cooper McDonald (12) beat him out, although Cochrane missed fewer tackles (2) than the undrafted, mini-camp tryout success story (5).
However, only cornerback Joshua Williams (4) had more penalties than Cochrane, who tied with rookie cornerback Kevin Knowles (3) for the second-most times flagged among special-teams players.
In his second year, he made his first start of his career in the regular-season finale — but earlier in the campaign, he played 57 snaps on the road against the Green Bay Packers in place of injured linebackers Nick Bolton and Drue Tranquill. His first significant action came in a 27-19 loss, but he made seven solo tackles, with two resulting in a loss.
In the two years since, Cochrane has only made one other start: this past season in Week 16 against the Tennessee Titans. He racked up five tackles over 29 snaps.
In 2024, Cochrane suffered a broken ankle in a Week 16 win over the Houston Texans, forcing him to be sidelined for the proceeding playoff run. The silver lining of the injury: Cochrane avoided playing in a playoff loss, keeping his record as 7-0 in postseason action with the Chiefs.
