As the Chiefs move toward Saturday’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, the depth chart is starting to take shape. Not everything is settled, though. Training camp at Missouri Western and the preseason games still have work to do, and a handful of jobs remain up for grabs.
Right tackle is one of the most intriguing ones.
It’s a strange twist when an undrafted rookie free agent starts looking like the favorite over a sixth-year veteran set to make more than $14 million this season, but that’s where things seem to stand with Kahlil Benson and Jaylon Moore. A couple of weeks into camp and after six days in pads, the early read is that Benson has pushed himself into the lead not because Moore has fallen apart, but because Benson has been that good.
He’s fresh off a national championship at Indiana, and his progress has become one of the more important developments in camp. The job is far from decided, and the preseason will tell part of the story.
If Benson keeps this up, the Chiefs don’t just get a surprise starter - they get better depth and more financial flexibility down the road.
The same kind of uncertainty hangs over the third linebacker spot.
Nick Bolton at MIKE and Drue Tranquill at WILL are set, but Kansas City still needs a SAM linebacker to fill the void left by Leo Chenal, who signed a three-year deal with the Washington Commanders in the offseason. Chenal’s role was no small thing. In the games he played last season, he was on the field for about 53% of the Chiefs’ defensive snaps, and he did a little bit of everything: stopping the run, spying quarterbacks, rushing the passer, and contributing on special teams in kick return, punt return, punt coverage and field-goal block.
Steve Spagnuolo and Dave Toub have both been honest about how hard that will be to replace, and Bolton said earlier in camp that the Chiefs will never replace Chenal. Still, someone has to step into the role.
Jack Cochrane, Cooper McDonald and Jeff Bassa are the candidates, with Cochrane getting a bigger look this week because of Tranquill’s injury. McDonald may be the cleanest fit, though, thanks to his size, physical style and run defense.
The preseason should help separate the group.
Running back is another spot where the room looks very different.
No offense has been more reshaped than this one, with only one player from last season returning who took a snap. Kenneth Walker was the Chiefs’ primary offseason addition, and he has looked solid throughout camp.
Patrick Mahomes pointed to him when asked what has stood out most about the offense in St. Joseph, saying, “No.
9 (Walker). You make a play out of nothing into a 20-yard gain.”
There’s been more than one encouraging performance behind him, too. Emari Demercado and Brashard Smith have been getting most of the second-team reps lately.
Smith is the lone returning player in the group, and Andy Reid said the Chiefs are using him all over the formation. Reid also praised Smith’s pass-blocking improvement.
Emmett Johnson, the fifth-round pick from Nebraska, has also been getting second-team work. The Chiefs are looking for more explosive runs from this group, and they’ll also want to identify who handles short-yardage work.
Cornerback may be the most unsettled of all.
This was the group hit hardest by offseason turnover, with Trent McDuffie and Jaylon Watson leaving for a combined $175 million in Los Angeles. So who fills the openings outside?
Nohl Williams has been the bright spot. He’s had a strong camp and was even the first young player Mahomes mentioned when asked about emerging talent this week.
“I knew how talented he is, but you can tell when a guy starts to get it,” Mahomes said.
Beyond Williams, the picture gets murky fast. Mansoor Delane is still wearing the yellow no-contact jersey, and while the Chiefs hope he’ll be in a white full-participant kit this month, he’s already behind.
L’Jarius Sneed has also not taken part in full-contact drills, and Kristian Fulton is dealing with a hip injury. That has pushed Melvin Smith, who wasn’t on many radars when camp opened, into first-team work out of necessity.
The Chiefs were the NFL’s fourth-best man-to-man coverage team by success rate last season, even without a steady pass rush, but that scheme depends on having the right coverage pieces in place. Two weeks into camp, that part is still unresolved.
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