The Chiefs went into minicamp with one depth problem, but that conversation has already moved somewhere else.
What had been a receiver concern around Rashee Rice has given way to a much bigger issue up front, where Kansas City’s offensive line depth is now the spot drawing the most attention, according to Jesse Newell of The Athletic.
That shift matters because the Chiefs are already dealing with a pileup of questions along the line. Left tackle Josh Simmons is out this week because of ongoing back issues, and that leaves the team preparing to start rookie left tackle Kahlil Benson. On the other side, Jaylon Moore has not locked down the right tackle job, with Benson pushing him early in training camp.
Benson’s own tape has not exactly settled anything. In the Chiefs’ third preseason game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Bucs pass rusher Rueben Bain gave Benson a rough time and made him look overmatched. That performance helped convince Kansas City to back off its early plan of using both Benson and Moore on the interior to add more depth there.
The problems do not stop at tackle. Right guard Trey Smith has been a steady piece for Kansas City until last season, but he has dealt with hip issues in camp and has raised questions about his availability. Smith is expected to play in Week 1 against Denver, though the Chiefs’ recent contract restructure with him suggests his injury situation played at least some role in that move.
Kansas City has also spent part of camp trying to patch things together with outside help, making a pair of trades for tackles - one with the New York Giants and another with the Baltimore Ravens. That kind of movement does not exactly signal confidence in the depth behind Benson and Moore.
And then there’s Patrick Mahomes, who can make any offensive line issue feel a little bigger. He is healthy, and he spent the early part of camp showing he can roll out and run around some. Still, the Chiefs would clearly rather not ask him to do that Monday night against the fierce Denver Broncos pass rush.
In Other News...
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Chiefs Fans Just Got A Painful Hint About Arrowheads Future
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Andy Reid Succession Talk Just Got Real For Chiefs Fans
The conversation around Andy Reids long-term future in Kansas City has started to feel less like idle offseason chatter and more like a question fans are going to keep circling back to. On The Ringer Fantasy Football Show, Danny Heifetz and Danny Kelly dug into what the next chapter could look like if the Chiefs ever hit a prolonged rough patch with Patrick Mahomes still in place, a scenario that would put Reids place in the franchise under a very different kind of scrutiny.
Heifetz floated the idea that repeated playoff misses could eventually bring pressure on Reid to step aside, and even pointed to Kyle Shanahan as a possible successor down the line. Nothing about the discussion reflected any official decision or even a timeline, but it did show how naturally the coaching succession topic is creeping into the background whenever Reids name comes up. [Read more 🡒]