The biggest question hanging over the Chiefs as they open against the Denver Broncos is right there on the edge of the line: who is going to hold down left tackle?
Kansas City is set to start undrafted rookie Khalil Benson, which would make him the 10th different player to start at the spot since 2023. That kind of turnover is hard to miss, especially at a position that has become a weekly stress test for the Chiefs. Injuries, shaky decisions from the front office and coaching staff, and uneven play have all fed the churn.
The path to this point has been a long one. After the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in the Andy Reid era by beating the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022, Orlando Brown Jr. was the man at left tackle.
Brown, who had come over in a trade with the Baltimore Ravens after the 2020 season, started every game that year on the franchise tag and made the Pro Bowl. But he left in free agency, signing a four-year, $64 million deal with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Kansas City responded by bringing in Donovan Smith, who opened the first 12 games before an injury ended his regular season early. Rookie Wanya Morris took the next four starts, and Joe Thuney even slid over at guard for the finale. Smith then returned for all four playoff games, including the Super Bowl win over the San Francisco 49ers.
The Chiefs then tried to reset the position for their Super Bowl three-peat push by starting rookie Kingsley Suamataia at left tackle. That experiment lasted one game before Morris took over after Suamataia struggled. Suamataia has since shifted to guard and played well there.
Morris got the job, but the instability never really stopped. After nine starts, Kansas City moved on again, with Mahomes taking 20 sacks over a five-game stretch.
The Chiefs answered by signing D.J. Humphries, formerly of the Arizona Cardinals, but a hamstring injury in his first game limited him to just one more start for Kansas City.
Thuney wound up playing tackle during the playoff run that ended in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Eagles.
Kansas City used its first-round pick in 2025 on Josh Simmons out of Ohio State in hopes of finally settling the position for the long term. Instead, Simmons played only eight games last season, missing time first for personal reasons and then because of a season-ending wrist fracture.
Last season’s other left tackle starts were split among Jaylon Moore, Morris and Esa Pole. But with Simmons now sidelined by a back injury that began at training camp, the Chiefs chose not to turn to Moore, who started four games on the left side last season. Benson got the nod instead, even though he did not play left tackle in college at Indiana or Colorado.
That means the Chiefs will have a player making his NFL debut at left tackle for the third straight season.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy said Benson has been leaning on veterans such as center Creed Humphrey and guard Trey Smith.
“He’s a young player,” Bieniemy said of Benson. “He’s going to have some good plays, he’s going to have some bad plays.”
There are other names to watch, too. At tight end, Travis Kelce needs 45 yards to reach 13,047 for his career, which would move him past Jason Witten for second all-time among NFL tight ends.
Only Tony Gonzalez would remain ahead of him, at 15,127. Gonzalez totaled 10,940 of those yards in 12 seasons with the Chiefs before finishing with the Atlanta Falcons.
On the other side, Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said the secondary “is one thing that’s a little concerning,” a problem made bigger by the injury to safety Chamarri Conner. The Broncos now have receiver Jaylen Waddle, who is coming off a 64-catch, six-touchdown season with the Miami Dolphins.
Kansas City’s answer in the defensive backfield includes first-round pick cornerback Mansoor Delane, second-year pro Nohl Williams and L’Jarius Sneed, who is back in Kansas City after two years with the Tennessee Titans. The starting safeties are expected to be Jaden Hicks and Alohi Gilman.
And on special teams, Dave Toub pointed to Brashard Smith as his most improved player from last season. Smith is set to serve as the Chiefs’ third running back and a featured return man, and his 57-yard kickoff return against the Seattle Seahawks in the third preseason game was one of Kansas City’s best plays in August.
“He was able to see that,” Toub said. “It wasn’t by design.”
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Kansas City is still expected to turn to rookie Kahlil Benson on the blind side because of injuries and roster moves, even with the obvious questions that come with asking a newcomer to handle that job. Humphries had previously been tried out by the Chiefs without sticking, and with his injury history still part of the evaluation, he does not look like an easy fix for a problem that keeps hanging over the offense. [Read more 🡒]