All through the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs’ offseason main into the 2026 marketing campaign, the offensive line has been described as each a energy of the crew and one of many roster’s largest query marks.
Throughout the 4 spots alongside proper sort out, the crew employs a two-time All-Professional, a perennial Professional Bowler and two promising gamers who have been highly-touted draft prospects. On the correct edge, the Week 1 starter is but to be written in ink by the Chiefs’ teaching employees.
Head coach Andy Reid assured veteran Jaylon Moore is the present chief for that function throughout a press convention on Thursday morning, however the crew is experimenting with the one undecided spot among the many 11 starters for the Kansas Metropolis offense.
“Moore has been kind of the mainstay in there, and then we’ve moved guys in there,” Reid stated. “We’ll just see, we’ll see what happens. Those other four spots are really pretty solid, and I feel good about whichever one of these guys wins the competition there. I think we got guys that will be okay in that position, it’s just a matter of who ends up being that guy.”
After 4 years because the understudy to 12-time Professional Bowl left sort out Trent Williams with the San Francisco 49ers, Moore began on the left facet for the Chiefs in his first season with the crew, filling in for the four-game stretch when rookie left sort out Josh Simmons was unavailable.
When Simmons got here again solely to endure a season-ending damage, the crew was already with out beginning proper sort out Jawaan Taylor, so Moore crammed in at proper sort out for 2 extra begins.
Whereas Moore auditioned for the way forward for the correct sort out place, Kansas Metropolis’s former third-round choose Wanya Morris — now a member of the Atlanta Falcons — was set to guard the blind facet in Simmons’ absence, one thing he has executed over a number of stretches of his profession with the Chiefs.
Nonetheless, his season ended with an damage one snap into his first begin of the yr, Week 14 in opposition to the Houston Texans, and that was apparently all of the crew wanted to see forward of Morris’ remaining yr of the rookie contract. With a beginning sort out place in flux, the Chiefs labored to discover a deal in chopping Morris, selecting a swap of the crew’s seventh-round choose for a sixth in subsequent yr’s draft.
That claims lots in regards to the group’s emotions about Morris, but additionally the prospects behind Moore who could have to step in at a second’s discover. Esa Pole, an undrafted signing final yr who began 4 video games at left sort out, appears to be firmly within the combine as a direct backup to both place.
The one addition to the sort out place this offseason, to this point, has been Kahlil Benson, a tryout participant throughout rookie minicamp. He flew underneath the radar on draft weekend regardless of beginning at proper sort out for the Indiana Hoosiers in the course of the 16-0 Nationwide Championship run.
In response to Jesse Newell of The Athletic, Chiefs coaches appear “to be high on him.” Throughout an interview with “Voice of the Chiefs” Mitch Holthus, which aired to Season Ticket Members in attendance at follow on Wednesday, Reid stated Benson was “another one that has a chance at that spot” when discussing the competitors at proper sort out after mentioning Moore, Pole, and Chu Godrick, who has a roster exception as an Worldwide Pathway Program (IPP) participant.
When he was signed in early Could, Arrowhead Delight highlighted Benson’s intriguing profile: 6 ft 6 inches tall, 321 kilos and arms longer than 34 1/2 inches. He additionally had “great” athletic testing leads to the vertical leap, broad leap and 40-yard sprint, in keeping with Relative Athletic Rating.
Reid was requested about Benson on Thursday.
“Big and strong, and looks like he has some good athletic ability for a big fella like that,” Reid shared. “Extremely strong hands, and [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.”
Jun 9, 2026; Kansas Metropolis, MO, USA; Kansas Metropolis Chiefs sort out Josh Simmons (71) speaks to media members throughout a brief press convention after the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs necessary mini-camp. Necessary Credit score: Denny Medley-Imagn Photos Denny Medley-Imagn Photos
Whereas Reid figures out the correct sort out spot, the one present subject of dialog in regards to the left sort out place is questioning the kind of physique the previous first-round choose clearly went all-out on achieveing heading into 12 months 2.
“He’s not a real big guy,” Reid described of Simmons. “That’s not what he is, but he’s extremely strong and very athletic. You always talk about leverage as a coach, and he does a pretty good job with that, and I think that helps him. He was able to function that way last year.”
Earlier this week, Simmons informed reporters that he at the moment weighed 285 to 290 kilos with the purpose of weighing a good 300 kilos by the point he takes the sphere within the common season.
“I know he probably told you he’s going to put on weight,” Reid acknowledged. “We’ll see where that goes. I don’t think that’s an absolute that has to take place, but he looked pretty good out here.”
“You don’t want cheeseburger weight, that’s not what you want,” Reid stated later. “You want him to be able to function and be able to maintain his endurance. He’s extremely athletic, and he’s gifted that way, so I think he’s able to get away with some things because of that.”
