Kahlil Benson has gone from tryout body to one of the NFL’s most talked-about rookies, and the Kansas City Chiefs are living the payoff every week.
That’s the headline version. The fuller version is even more striking: Benson has started eight games in nine weeks, earned AFC Offensive Rookie of the Month honors in September, and now has another piece of recognition after ESPN’s Bill Barnwell gave him his vote for Offensive Rookie of the Year with Week 10 approaching. Barnwell put Benson first ahead of Cleveland Browns wide receiver Denzel Boston, who leads all first-year players in receiving yards, and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate.
For the Chiefs, though, the award chatter is only part of the story. Benson’s emergence has become the most important development of their season, even with Patrick Mahomes back healthy from the first snap after his torn ACL and Travis Kelce still producing at 37.
That matters because Kansas City’s offensive tackle situation has been a mess. Left tackle Josh Simmons is on injured reserve with a back issue, and there are serious questions about whether he returns this year or at all. Right tackle Jaylon Moore has already dealt with a concussion and then hurt his ankle after coming back, and even when he’s on the field, his play has been described as below-average-to-average.
That’s the backdrop Benson stepped into.
His path to this point was anything but ordinary. Benson came out of Indiana with 25 starts at right tackle and eight at right guard, but the pre-draft belief that he was undraftable ended up holding true. The Chiefs brought him in on a tryout basis at rookie minicamp after draft weekend, and he made the most of the opening.
Once he got in the building, the coaching staff clearly wanted more. General manager Brett Veach traded Wanya Morris and released Esa Pole.
Andy Reid then moved pieces around so Benson could work at right tackle, right guard and left tackle depending on the injury picture during camp. No one could have predicted he’d be LT1 through the first half of the season, but the Chiefs were obviously interested in finding out how much he could handle.
Then Simmons went down in mid-August, and Benson found his permanent spot.
He hasn’t been flawless. Better pass-rush groups have given him trouble, including the Seahawks in Week 7 and the Jets in Week 9.
Still, he’s been steadier than most people realize. He has not missed a snap through the first nine weeks, which is a huge deal for a line that has seen the rest of its tackle options struggle to stay available.
His run blocking has also held up well. Barnwell pointed out that “The Chiefs are also averaging 6.3 yards per carry on runs to the outside on the left side, the second-best mark in the league,” and that kind of production is a real asset.
The pass-protection numbers show where the rough edges are. Pro Football Focus has Benson with 22 pressures allowed on 291 opportunities, a little over 7 percent.
That fits the film, especially against stronger pass rushes. But the Chiefs are still trusting him in true one-on-one situations most of the time, with Barnwell noting he’s on an island 84 percent of the time.
There’s also been discipline to his game. Benson has only two official penalties, both holding calls, and one came in Week 1 in his first start at left tackle dating back to his college days. Since then, he has had one more holding call and nothing else - no false starts, no extra noise.
Benson hasn’t erased Josh Simmons from the picture, and eventually the Chiefs will try to upgrade that left side. But Benson looks built for the right side long term if Kansas City sorts things out elsewhere, and for now he’s handling the blindside job.
For a team that needed help at one of the hardest spots to fill, the Chiefs found a diamond in the rough. Benson has beaten the odds just to make the roster, then gone further by giving them real play at a premium position while learning on the fly. That’s why he’s become such a big part of the conversation around Kansas City, and why more recognition appears to be on the way.
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Chiefs Suddenly Face A Defensive Line Test Before Falcons Game
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Kansas City also brought back defensive end Jack Pyburn on the practice squad after waiving him, keeping him in the mix as another option if the pass rush needs reinforcement. The moves do not solve the larger injury picture, but they do give the Chiefs a little more flexibility as they head into a week where the defensive line is suddenly under a closer spotlight. [Read more 🡒]