Kansas City Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp revealed that Brett Veach might have stolen a starter during undrafted free agency
Kahlil Benson fits the profile of a polished, multi-year college starter who could become a starter in the NFL. The Kansas City Chiefs are already giving him a look at right tackle after he earned a 90-man roster spot as a tryout player.
Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach might have found the team a steal during undrafted free agency.
The Chiefs have four of the five starting offensive line positions locked up heading into the 2026 NFL season. However, the right tackle position is one where the team is entertaining an open competition. Jawaan Taylor, the team’s right tackle of the past three seasons, was a salary cap casualty.
Jaylon Moore is the outright favorite because of his contract and experience. Esa Pole is a second-year player getting some looks at right tackle. However, as mandatory minicamp took place last week, it became apparent that at least one more player had thrown his name in the hat.
Kahlil Benson, Indiana’s starting right tackle on the 2025 national-champion Hoosiers, signed with Kansas City after a tryout at rookie minicamp. The undrafted free agent could end up solving the right tackle spot. At the very least, he’s providing enough competition that the Chiefs felt comfortable trading away former third-round pick Wanya Morris.
Kahlil Benson Quick Facts & Stats
Benson has appeared in 49 career college games, with 33 starts at RT and RG during his time at Indiana and Colorado.
- 2025 Sacks Allowed: 4
- 2025 Pressures Allowed: 24
- 2025 Penalties: 5
Chiefs UDFA OT Kahlil Benson earned starting repetitions during mandatory minicamp
On Day 1 and Day 2 of mandatory minicamp practices, UDFA OT Kahlil Benson rotated with the first-team offense and the second-team offense. It’d be one thing if it were the end of training camp, but this is rather uncommon so early in the offseason.
Asked what compelled him to give Benson an opportunity, Chiefs HC Andy Reid made it clear that padless practices make it easier to rotate. Benson’s physical traits (6-foot-6 and 319 pounds) and on-field ability also play a role.
“Yeah, so (he’s) big and strong and looks like he (Kahlil Benson) has some good athletic ability – good feet for a big fella like that,” Reid said. “(He has) extremely strong hands. (I) look forward to seeing him in pads. It’s hard to evaluate some of these guys if you haven’t seen them in pads before. In these types of practices, there’s not a whole lot of contact going on there, but he’s been able to handle everything, and we’ll see where it goes.”
Naturally, Coach Reid is going to qualify any work for the guys in the trenches at this point of the offseason. He’s not going to truly know what Benson is capable of until the pads go on in training camp this July. Or at least that’s what he wants everyone to believe. What stands out to me here is that he says Benson has handled everything they’ve thrown at him. That’s a good sign, given the complexities of the offense.
At the end of the day, this team’s No. 1 priority will be protecting Patrick Mahomes as he returns from a serious knee injury. They’re going to roll with the best combination of offensive linemen, whether they’re first-round draft picks or undrafted tryout players.