Kansas City Chiefs Preseason Week 1 Snap Counts: Confidence shown in UDFA Kahlil Benson, third-year S Jaden Hicks answers questions
Here’s how the snaps worked out in the Kansas City Chiefs’ preseason Week 1 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Kansas City Chiefs were defeated 20-12 by the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL preseason.
The game gave fans their first real look at the 90-man offseason roster in game-day action. It’s extremely difficult to glean much information from the preseason snaps, given the sheer number of players involved throughout the game. It’s still worth diving in and seeing what we can learn from the weekly snap counts and accompanying observations.
Here’s a look at how the snaps played out in preseason Week 1, followed by some takeaways.
Snap counts via NFL Game Stats Information System.
Chiefs’ preseason Week 1 snap counts vs. Rams
| Player & Position | Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
|---|---|---|---|
| P. Nygra — C | 64 (91%) | — | 1 (4%) |
| E. Pole — OL | 47 (67%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| H. Nourzad — OL | 47 (67%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| M. Caliendo — OL | 47 (67%) | — | — |
| E. Driskell — T | 46 (66%) | — | — |
| A. Armstrong — WR | 41 (59%) | — | 5 (19%) |
| G. Nussmeier — QB | 41 (59%) | — | — |
| T. Watson — TE | 37 (53%) | — | 8 (30%) |
| J. Royals — WR | 36 (51%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| C. Allen — WR | 36 (51%) | — | — |
| E. Johnson — RB | 35 (50%) | — | 8 (30%) |
| J. Briningstool — TE | 35 (50%) | — | 7 (26%) |
| C. Godrick — T | 18 (26%) | — | 3 (11%) |
| C. Hanson — OL | 17 (24%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| J. Thompson — G | 17 (24%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| M. Waletzko — T | 17 (24%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| B. Smith — RB | 17 (24%) | — | 2 (7%) |
| C. Oladokun — QB | 17 (24%) | — | — |
| J. Wiley — TE | 16 (23%) | — | 7 (26%) |
| J. De Jesus — WR | 13 (19%) | — | 3 (11%) |
| J. Fields — QB | 12 (17%) | — | — |
| X. Loyd — WR | 11 (16%) | — | 2 (7%) |
| N. Remigio — WR | 10 (14%) | — | 2 (7%) |
| J. Ott — RB | 9 (13%) | — | 7 (26%) |
| J. Weimer — WR | 9 (13%) | — | 5 (19%) |
| J. Caldwell — WR | 9 (13%) | — | 4 (15%) |
| O. Evans — WR | 7 (10%) | — | 5 (19%) |
| M. Pline — TE | 6 (9%) | — | 2 (7%) |
| K. Suamataia — OL | 6 (9%) | — | — |
| K. Benson — T | 6 (9%) | — | — |
| J. Moore — OL | 6 (9%) | — | — |
| J. Simmons — T | 6 (9%) | — | — |
| C. Humphrey — C | 6 (9%) | — | — |
| T. Thornton — WR | 6 (9%) | — | — |
| E. Demercado — RB | 5 (7%) | — | 5 (19%) |
| N. Gray — TE | 5 (7%) | — | — |
| E. Smith — RB | 3 (4%) | — | 7 (26%) |
| J. Brownlee — WR | 3 (4%) | — | 6 (22%) |
| K. Walker — RB | 1 (1%) | — | — |
| J. Hicks — DB | — | 33 (61%) | 4 (15%) |
| R. Thomas — DE | — | 30 (56%) | 7 (26%) |
| K. Fulton — CB | — | 29 (54%) | 5 (19%) |
| F. Anudike-Uzomah — DE | — | 27 (50%) | — |
| J. Cochrane — LB | — | 26 (48%) | 3 (11%) |
| M. Harris — DT | — | 26 (48%) | — |
| A. McNeill — DT | — | 25 (46%) | 4 (15%) |
| P. Woods — DL | — | 25 (46%) | — |
| C. Roland-Wallace — CB | — | 24 (44%) | 3 (11%) |
| J. Canady — DB | — | 23 (43%) | 7 (26%) |
| J. Bassa — LB | — | 23 (43%) | 7 (26%) |
| M. Smith — CB | — | 21 (39%) | 9 (33%) |
| X. Nwankpa — S | — | 21 (39%) | 9 (33%) |
| D. Singleton — S | — | 20 (37%) | 6 (22%) |
| V. Anthony — DE | — | 19 (35%) | 11 (41%) |
| T. McCalister — S | — | 19 (35%) | 10 (37%) |
| Ty. Smith — DE | — | 19 (35%) | 6 (22%) |
| K. Elam — CB | — | 17 (31%) | 5 (19%) |
| D. Perkins-McAllister — CB | — | 16 (30%) | 10 (37%) |
| Z. Vedder — CB | — | 16 (30%) | 5 (19%) |
| E. Hurkett — DE | — | 16 (30%) | 3 (11%) |
| C. McDonald — LB | — | 15 (28%) | 3 (11%) |
| A. Gilman — S | — | 15 (28%) | 1 (4%) |
| C. Christiansen — LB | — | 13 (24%) | 9 (33%) |
| C. Brevard — DT | — | 13 (24%) | 4 (15%) |
| W. Bissainthe — LB | — | 12 (22%) | 6 (22%) |
| K. Arnold — LB | — | 12 (22%) | 5 (19%) |
| K. Knowles — DB | — | 11 (20%) | 4 (15%) |
| N. Williams — DB | — | 9 (17%) | 1 (4%) |
| K. Tonga — NT | — | 5 (9%) | — |
| D. Payne — DT | — | 4 (7%) | 4 (15%) |
| A. Dunn — DE | — | 3 (6%) | 6 (22%) |
| G. Karlaftis — DE | — | 3 (6%) | — |
| N. Bolton — LB | — | 3 (6%) | — |
| C. Jones — DT | — | 1 (2%) | — |
| H. Butker — K | — | — | 9 (33%) |
| M. Araiza — P | — | — | 9 (33%) |
| J. Winchester — LS | — | — | 9 (33%) |
Kahlil Benson was the lone rookie to get the starter treatment
How players and their snaps are treated tells us a lot about how the coaching staff currently views them. Kahlil Benson is a perfect example. The starters on the offensive line each saw six snaps with Justin Fields before they were pulled from the game. That group included Benson, who got the start at right guard in place of Trey Smith. The Chiefs could’ve played him at second-team right tackle, but they opted to say his day was finished. That shows how highly the team rates the rookie when HC Andy Reid is adamant you need to play to improve.
Other rookies didn’t get the same type of treatment. Leading into the game, I told folks to watch Cyrus Allen’s snaps and playing time. He played deep into the third quarter, but there was at least one positive trend for Allen. Dave Toub said he wanted to get him a punt return repetition, but that didn’t happen. It could be a sign the Chiefs aren’t going to use Allen on special teams, at least not yet.
Jaden Hicks tied for the defensive lead on snap counts
This one was a bit of a head-scratcher for Kansas City. Jaden Hicks is coming off a bit of a down year in 2025. He spent most of training camp working with the second-team defense before Chamarri Conner’s injury. After that, he began working with the first-team defense. During Saturday’s preseason game, the Chiefs played Hicks for 37 combined snaps on defense and special teams. That usage looks more like a player on the roster bubble than a draft pick locked into a defined role.
Now, this could simply be a depth-related issue with the team down Conner in preseason Week 1. However, it felt like a wake-up call from the coaching staff for Hicks. They clearly want more from him, and he responded. He led the team in total tackles, plus had the team’s lone tackle for loss and a pass defended on the day.
R Mason Thomas and Pete Nygra see the most work
Pete Nygra played the most snaps of any player, with 64 total offensive snaps and one special teams snap. That’s 17 more offensive snaps than the next closest players. Nygra had an up-and-down performance, including two penalties. The Chiefs clearly want to see what they have in Nygra, who can play both guard and center. He’s someone in direct competition with Hunter Nourzad.
R Mason Thomas played 30 defensive snaps, the second-most of any defensive player for the Chiefs on Saturday. He flashed multiple times throughout the game and did enough, in my opinion, for the team to lessen his workload in preseason Week 2. He’s going to be needed on defense this season.
Other quick-hitting Kansas City Chiefs observations
- These are the players who didn’t play: WR 1 X.Worthy (shoulder), WR 4 R.Rice (knee), CB 5 M.Delane (shoulder), QB 15 P.Mahomes (knee), LB 23 D.Tranquill (back), CB 26 K.Kohou (knee), DB 27 C.Conner (knee), CB 38 L.Sneed (knee), DE 50 E.Ogbah (veteran), DT 55 O.Norman-Lott (knee), G 65 T.Smith (hip), WR 82 J.Holiday (N/A), TE 87 T.Kelce (veteran), DE 97 A.Gillotte (hamstring).
- Emari Demercado, listed as the No. 2 RB on the team’s first “unofficial” depth chart, saw just five snaps on offense. All of those came in the fourth quarter.
- Jaylon Moore and Tyquan Thornton also received the starter treatment, both playing just six offensive snaps on Saturday.
- Kenneth Walker and Chris Jones each saw one snap on offense and defense, respectively. Nick Bolton and George Karlaftis each got four snaps apiece.
