Roster cuts are in the books, and the Chiefs have already done the kind of roster trimming and reshaping that usually leaves a few unexpected names standing when the dust settles. Kansas City’s 53-man group is mostly set, and among the players who survived the squeeze are five undrafted free agents who beat the odds and made it through.
Those five are offensive linemen Kahlil Benson and Diego Pounds, defensive linemen Bryson Eason and Jack Pyburn, and safety Xavier Nwankpa. None of them entered the league with the easy path that comes with being drafted, but all five found a way onto the active roster with just over a week left before Kansas City opens against the Denver Broncos at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kahlil Benson looks like the UDFA with the clearest chance to grow into a bigger role. The Chiefs signed him out of Indiana, where he spent the 2020 to 2023 seasons before a year at Colorado in 2024 and then a return to Bloomington for his final year of eligibility.
That decision paid off. Benson started every game at right tackle for Indiana in 2025 and helped the Hoosiers win their first-ever national championship.
Right now, he’s projected as the backup behind Jaylon Moore, but the Chiefs gave him plenty of work with the starters during camp and the preseason, and he handled it well. A rookie UDFA getting real snaps on the offensive line would be unusual unless injury forces the issue, but that possibility is clearly on the table.
Diego Pounds gives Kansas City another body in the offensive tackle room. His arrival came by trade, which says plenty about how the Chiefs viewed him.
The move also stirred up concern because it came against the backdrop of Josh Simmons’ back injury. Pounds, a huge tackle out of Ole Miss, started at left tackle for the Rebels in 2025.
He’s depth for now, and the hope is that fans never have to see him in a major role, because that would likely mean the line has taken hits.
On the defensive side, Bryson Eason adds more depth up front. He was one of the older players in this draft class, but the Chiefs still liked enough of what they saw to claim him off waivers earlier this week.
Eason and Omarr Norman-Lott were teammates at Tennessee, and now they’ll be back together in Kansas City. Eason started all 13 games for the Volunteers in 2025 after originally being with the 49ers before getting waived.
He’s not being counted on to rack up sacks, but he does bring a reputation for stopping the run, and that matters. The Chiefs are hoping his six years of experience in Knoxville can translate into a useful role on the d-line.
Jack Pyburn made his case the hard way: by dominating in the preseason. Preseason games don’t count in the standings, but they absolutely count when players are fighting for jobs, and Pyburn turned those chances into four sacks in two games.
That performance helped him jump from being waived by the Buccaneers to landing on Kansas City’s active roster. He had the option to return to LSU if the NFL start didn’t work out, but that door is closed now.
Pyburn spent his first three college seasons at Florida before transferring to LSU last year, and what’s striking is that he had more sacks in the preseason than he did in four college seasons combined, when he totaled three. The Chiefs want that edge and violence showing up in their linebacker group, where he projects as a needed depth piece.
Xavier Nwankpa always had a realistic path to make it, especially with Kansas City not adding more safety depth after swapping Bryan Cook for Alohi Gilman. The Iowa product brings tackling ability and the kind of range Steve Spagnuolo likes.
Chamarri Conner and Gilman are set to start at safety, with Nwankpa and Jaden Hicks backing them up. For an undrafted player, that’s a real shot at meaningful snaps, and those aren’t easy to come by.
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