Patrick Mahomes is finally back, but the first test of his comeback just got a lot trickier.
Monday night is supposed to mark his return from the torn ACL and LCL that ended his 2025 season in December. Instead of easing into that moment with a full-strength front, Kansas City is heading into the opener against Denver without its starting left tackle. Josh Simmons has officially been ruled out, and that means the Chiefs will hand the job to an undrafted rookie in Kahlil Benson.
Benson is set to make his first NFL start at left tackle, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. That’s a major leap for a player who signed with Kansas City after going unselected in this year’s draft. Benson started 12 games at right tackle for national champion Indiana last season, and most of his college work - along with his preseason reps - came on the right side.
Now the assignment flips dramatically. He’ll be responsible for Mahomes’ blind side while dealing with Denver edge rusher Nik Bonitto, who has piled up 27.5 sacks since 2024.
Simmons’ absence had been building toward this outcome. He has been dealing with a persistent back injury since mid-August and did not practice throughout the week before the team made the decision official. The Ohio State product also missed nine games last season, first because of a personal family matter and later because of a wrist injury that ended his year on injured reserve.
The Chiefs have already heard the outside concern about putting Mahomes in that kind of spot, especially after teammates raised alarms in camp about protecting his surgically repaired knee during drills. Andy Reid, though, has stood behind Benson all along.
“He’s done a nice job for us,” Reid said Thursday. “He’s obviously shown us that he has the ability to play. We wouldn’t put him in there if we didn’t think that.”
Mahomes backed that up when asked about trusting a young lineman in such a critical spot.
“I’ve got trust in anyone that the coaches put out there because I know that they’ve worked their tail off to be at that spot,” he said.
The quarterback also comes into Monday after sliding to No. 18 in the NFL’s Top 100 player rankings this offseason. And the challenge won’t stop with Denver’s pass rush. The Broncos open the season as the reigning AFC West champion, which only adds more heat to a night that already carries plenty of it.
For Kansas City, the opener now turns on one simple question: can Benson hold up long enough to let Mahomes settle back in?
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