Patrick Mahomes is set to return to the Chiefs’ lineup on Monday night against the Denver Broncos, but Kansas City may be lining up without the man tasked with guarding his blind side.
The 33rd Team’s Ari Meirov reported Tuesday that Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons is “unlikely to play” because of a lingering back injury. If that holds, undrafted rookie Khalil Benson would be the next man up at left tackle for Kansas City.
“LT Josh Simmons is unlikely to play Week 1 vs. the Broncos, which means undrafted rookie Khalil Benson would be poised to start. Simmons has been dealing with a back injury for a matter of weeks,” Meirov posted on X.
That turns the spotlight immediately to Denver’s pass rush, and especially Nik Bonitto, who lines up on that side of the field. Bonitto has three career sacks against Mahomes, and he already had this season opener circled months ago.
The edge rusher has only been a starter for the last two seasons, but he has made that stretch count. In that span, he’s piled up 27.5 sacks. His 2025 season was his best yet, ending with 14 sacks despite playing with a cast on his hand.
That production is a big reason Bonitto has been mentioned this offseason as a possible NFL sack leader and even a Defensive Player of the Year candidate in national media. He has become one of the league’s most dangerous finishers off the edge, and the Broncos know exactly what kind of pressure he can create.
How Broncos defensive coordinator Vance Joseph handles the matchup will be worth watching, especially with Benson potentially making his first start at left tackle. But Kansas City will have its own answers ready. The Chiefs will try to get the ball out fast to blunt Denver’s rush, just as teams have done against Joseph’s defense after the Broncos led the NFL in sacks in 2024.
Joseph has also seen opponents lean more heavily on play-action, trying to use Denver’s aggression against it. That’s a wrinkle the Broncos will have to be prepared for against Andy Reid and Mahomes.
Even coming off a multi-ligament knee injury, Mahomes remains the center of everything Kansas City does. Denver can’t approach this like a softened version of the Chiefs offense. Mahomes has been too good for too long for that, and the Broncos will have to respect him the same way they have since he became the starter in 2018.
The Bonitto-Benson matchup should be one of the game’s defining battles. If Bonitto can win with his speed and pass-rushing moves, he could push Mahomes into trouble.
Kansas City will try to protect its quarterback by leaning on new running back Kenneth Walker III and building from there into a play-action attack that features Travis Kelce and the Chiefs’ trio of speedster wide receivers.
Expect help for Benson if he starts. The Chiefs are likely to use double teams, chips, and plenty of Kelce in protection. Heavy tight-end packages would not be a surprise, either.
While Bonitto draws attention, the Broncos will need Jonah Elliss and the rest of the rush group to win their one-on-ones and stay disciplined with contain. Mahomes is returning, but he’s still one of the most elusive quarterbacks in the league, and Denver can’t afford to let him escape the pocket.
That’s the tightrope the Broncos have to walk. Simmons missing the game helps their cause, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re facing Mahomes and the Chiefs in a season opener that can turn quickly if they lose focus.
The Broncos know what’s coming. And with Mahomes back under center and Simmons likely out, Monday night just got a little more interesting.
In Other News...
Broncos Rookie RB Is Already Pressing A Bigger Role
Jonah Coleman arrived in Denver with the kind of profile that tends to earn immediate trust from coaches: a fourth-round pick with a balanced running style, the size to handle a physical workload and the pass protection chops to stay on the field in more than just obvious rushing situations. For a Broncos backfield that has already dealt with injury concerns elsewhere, that versatility gives him a real path to playing time before long.
What makes Coleman even more intriguing is how broad that path could become as the season unfolds. Scouts and executives see a runner who can contribute in multiple ways, and that kind of skill set usually leads to a role that grows by the week if the player handles the early opportunities well. The Broncos do not have to force it, but they may not be able to keep him in a small package for very long either. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Still Have One Defensive Concern Entering Week 1
Less than a week before their regular-season opener, the Broncos were still looking around for defensive help, bringing in four players for tryouts as they worked through the final stretch of roster decisions. Dean Clark, Jack Henderson, Jack Dingle and Emany Johnson all got a look as Denver continued to assess the back end of the defense and the middle of the field, two spots where the team has more questions than answers.
The fact that none of the four had been signed by the time of the report suggests the Broncos are not rushing into a move, even with safety and inside linebacker still standing out as relative depth concerns. It is the kind of late-August roster housekeeping that can say plenty about how a team feels about its current group, and for Denver it leaves one defensive subplot worth monitoring as Week 1 approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Broncos Cap Flexibility Just Raised The Stakes For Their Next Core Decisions
The Broncos enter the next phase of roster building with real breathing room, and that matters because the choices coming over the next year are no longer being made under cap stress. Denver currently has about $23.99 million in space for the 2026 season, good for fifth in the league, a position that gives the front office more options as it weighs extensions, free agency and the kind of move-by-move housekeeping that can shape a contenders window.
There is still some drag on the books, including roughly $5.984 million in dead money tied mostly to former linebacker Dre Greenlaw, along with smaller cap hits from players on the practice squad, injured reserve and the commissioners exempt list. The bigger point is what comes next: Denver is also projected to be in a healthy spot for 2027, and with that kind of flexibility, the stakes only rise for how aggressively the Broncos choose to lock in their core before the market starts pushing harder. [Read more 🡒]