Kansas City Chiefs OT Kahlil Benson might face his biggest test yet in Week 3, and it has nothing to do with the Miami Dolphins
The Kansas City Chiefs undrafted rookie has earned praise for his first two starts at Arrowhead Stadium. A road environment could change the equation entirely.
Kansas City Chiefs undrafted free agent offensive tackle Khalil Benson has earned some serious flowers for his performance thus far.
According to PFF, Benson has allowed no sacks, two penalties, and just six pressures through the first two weeks. The rookie has started at left tackle in place of Josh Simmons. He’s playing a position he never played before in college and hasn’t played since high school. Yet the tape has given the Chiefs plenty of faith in his ability.
“Yeah, there are a couple hiccups in there, but (T Kahlil Benson) he was going against a good player, and I thought he did a decent job,” Reid said after Week 2 vs. the Colts. “He’s a (undrafted) free agent and all that. (General Manager Brett) Veach, great eyes, great eyes. To bring him in here, and then (Offensive Line Coach) Andy Heck believing in him and coaching him up, the kid believing in himself. I think he’s winning over a lot of people.”
While it’s unclear whether Benson will remain the starter in Week 3, with Simmons making progress in his recovery from a back injury, if he does start, it will be one of his biggest tests yet. It has nothing to do with his opponent, the Miami Dolphins. It has everything to do with the environment he will be put in.
The silent count looms as a concern for Benson
If you remember preseason Week 2 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Benson struggled at right guard. The biggest problem on the road against an opposing crowd was that the Chiefs went silent. There were multiple times when he was slow off the snap because of the silent count.
“Yeah, so we’ve kind of moved this kid all over the place, and (T Kahlil Benson) he did some good things,” Reid said after the Bucs game in preseason Week 2. “He’s got some things he’s got to work on, but you can see the talent there. He opened the gate a couple times on his drop, but he’s got a lot of talent, and the want to. He wants to do the right things; he’s got the ability to do it. It’s just getting these reps. We went silent count, too. So, which was new to him, and so he was late off the ball a couple times, but all of that he banks, and it’ll be important once we start the season for him.”
What is the silent count?
In football, the silent count is a nonverbal method the offense uses to coordinate the snap of the ball when crowd noise makes it impossible to hear the quarterback’s cadence.
- This typically takes the form of a visual cue, like a leg lift, head bob, or clap, for the QB to indicate he is ready and the snap is impending.
- An offensive lineman, typically the right guard, watches the quarterback for that visual trigger and then taps the center to let him know the snap is imminent.
- Offensive tackles also have to be aware of that and understand when it is coming.
The first two games of the 2026 NFL season have been played at the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City at home obviously doesn’t need to go into a silent count because the crowd knows not to be loud when the offense is on the field. An opposing crowd won’t give you any benefit of the doubt, even one showing up for an 0-2 Dolphins team.
Miami’s pass rush won’t be the problem
The reality is that the Dolphins’ pass rush is one of the worst in the NFL this season. Miami is the only team in the league without a sack through two weeks.
“It hasn’t worked in the first two games,” Dolphins HC Jeff Hafley said. “I’ve coached a lot of defense and done a lot of different things. I’m going to have to continue to try to generate more pressure.”
While Benson’s opponents won’t necessarily give him a stern test, that away environment will. Can he continue to build and maintain the consistency he has created through two regular season games? It remains to be seen if Benson will start at left tackle or if Simmons will return. If Simmons returns, the Chiefs will have to decide whether Benson plays right tackle or Jaylon Moore does.
Andy Reid’s belief in the rookie gets put to the test
Assuming things stay the way they are and Benson starts at left tackle with Moore at right tackle in Week 3, the silent count will be the challenge for the undrafted rookie. Can he pick that up this week and perform better than he did in preseason Week 2?
Chiefs HC Andy Reid has maintained that Benson is one of those players who doesn’t make the same mistake twice. If Benson can avoid the same mistakes he made in preseason Week 2, failing to get off the ball quickly on snaps where the silent count was used, that’ll further evidence what Reid has said about the rookie. Week 3 in Miami will tell us a lot about just how far Benson has come. It’ll also tell us a lot about his trajectory, which has been rising since training camp.
