Undrafted Rookie Kahlil Benson Is Taking Over the Chiefs’ Right Tackle Battle
Kansas City’s right tackle competition was supposed to be a two-man race between a proven veteran and a practice-squad survivor. Instead, an undrafted rookie nobody drafted in April has taken it over. Kahlil Benson has grabbed the majority of first-team reps at right tackle through the Chiefs’ first full week of padded practices, and the coaching staff hasn’t shown any urgency to hand the job back.
Benson signed with Kansas City as an undrafted free agent out of Indiana in May, arriving with almost no national profile. According to Arrowhead Pride, he entered camp viewed as a long shot behind veteran Jaylon Moore and second-year tackle Esa Pole, who was seen as the more likely long-term answer at the position. That read has aged poorly.
From afterthought to first-team reps
The shift happened fast once the pads came on. Per NFL.com, Benson took all of the first-team reps at right tackle for a second straight practice on Wednesday, continuing a stretch in which he’s received the bulk of the first-team work over seven full-squad sessions. Moore, a five-year veteran who entered camp as the presumed starter, has instead cycled through other spots on the line while Benson holds down Patrick Mahomes’ right side.
ESPN’s camp coverage notes that head coach Andy Reid let Benson take every first-team snap in one recent session — a departure Reid himself called a bit of a surprise, given Moore’s experience edge entering the summer.
Reid has stopped short of naming a winner. “I think you let them compete and see where it goes,” he said this week, according to NFL.com. “Both of them can play. We’ve just got a young guy that we haven’t seen too much, but he has some talent. Let’s see where that goes. And Moore keeps battling.”
Teammates are noticing
The praise from inside the building has been consistent. Starting left tackle Josh Simmons, working across the line from Benson every day, called him a physical, effort-driven player. “I think Kahlil is doing a great job. I think he’s a very physical player,” Simmons said, via KQ2 in St. Joseph, Missouri. “I think you can’t really teach effort. I mean, that’s what he’s giving out there.”
New Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker III, who joined Kansas City this offseason after winning Super Bowl LX MVP, has watched Benson hold up in live contact drills. “He’s done great,” Walker said, according to Heavy.com. “We’ve got pads on now and you get to see how well he’s doing out there. He’s going to have a great impact on this team.” Center Creed Humphrey, who lines up next to whoever wins the job, told SI.com that Benson brings serious punching power and shows up to “every meeting, every walkthrough, every lift” with the right mindset.
Why the line matters this much
Kansas City is rebuilding around a very different roster than the one that stumbled to a 6-11 finish a year ago. The offense returns with Walker in the backfield, cornerback L’Jarius Sneed back after two seasons away, and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy calling plays again. Mahomes has spent the offseason working back from a knee injury, and ESPN’s camp notes indicate he’s looked fully healthy through practice.
None of that matters much if the edges of the offensive line leak pressure. Left tackle Josh Simmons and left guard Kingsley Suamataia, plus Humphrey at center and Trey Smith at right guard, are already locked in as starters. Right tackle has been the one open spot on the entire offense — which is exactly why an undrafted rookie taking it over counts as one of the bigger stories of the summer.
A stable right tackle would let Bieniemy call a fuller offense without scheming around a soft spot in protection, and it would let the Chiefs use Moore as swing depth across both tackle spots rather than locking him into a starting job by default.
| Player | Experience | College | 2026 Camp Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kahlil Benson | Rookie (UDFA) | Indiana | First-team RT reps, majority of camp |
| Jaylon Moore | 5th NFL season | Western Michigan | Working at RT with second/rotating reps |
| Esa Pole | 2nd NFL season | — | Second-team RT, started 4 games in 2025 |
The résumé behind the surprise
Benson isn’t a total unknown to college football fans. The 6-foot-6, 319-pound tackle started at right tackle for Indiana in 2023, transferred to Colorado for the 2024 season, then returned to Bloomington for 2025 — where he helped anchor the offensive line for Indiana’s undefeated national championship run under coach Curt Cignetti. Scouts questioned his pass-protection technique heading into the draft, which is part of why he went unpicked. The Chiefs signed him shortly after rookie minicamp in May.
That pass-protection question is precisely what the preseason will test. Padded team drills are one thing; live snaps against opposing pass rushers who aren’t teammates are another. How Benson’s hand placement, footwork and pass sets hold up once Kansas City opens its preseason schedule will say more about whether this is a real changing of the guard or a camp mirage.
What’s still unresolved
Nothing here is finalized. Reid has repeatedly framed this as an open competition, and reports about Moore’s contract situation vary slightly by outlet — Athlon Sports has cited a $15 million salary figure for Moore this season, while NFL.com has reported his base salary at $14.24 million. Kansas City has not made any official announcement on a starter, and none should be assumed until the team names one.
What is clear: Benson has done enough over the first stretch of padded practices to make this competition genuinely uncomfortable for a five-year veteran. The preseason opener will be the next real test.
