The Kansas City Chiefs have an undrafted rookie protecting Patrick Mahomes' blindside, and he's doing it rather well.
The Kansas City Chiefs came into the season with issues at left tackle, but they appear to have found a surprising solution, as Kahlil Benson has been named AFC Offensive Rookie of the month, according to a report from Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk along with multiple other outlets.
It’s one of the biggest surprises in the NFL so far, with Benson being an undrafted rookie out of Indiana who had to attend a tryout to get a chance to make the team. But Benson passed that hurdle, and he’s been knocking down other obstacles on a regular basis as he continues to show he belongs and then some.
Benson’s signature came occurred agains the Denver Broncos, as the Chiefs featured running back Kenneth Walker III in their season opener. The left tackle was a huge part of Walker’s success, both literally and figuratively, and he may have earned himself a permanent job as Josh Simmons continues to try and come back from a back injury that was finally reported as a bulging disc this week.
Even more remarkably, Benson has started each of the first three games, playing 100 percent of Kansas City’s offensive snaps. He did not play the position in college.
The NFL’s announcement of the award also featured some Next Gen Stats, stating that Benson had allowed seven QB pressures in 106 pass blocking snaps, which is the third-fewest among all left tackles this season. Benson also has won the highest percentage of one-on-one matchups (84.0 percent, 89-of-106).
Benson also made some history, as Benson is just the eighth offensive lineman to win the award, and he’s the first since Quenton Nelson back in 2018.
The award goes hand-in-hand with another Chiefs award that was announced this week, with Walker getting the nod as overall AFC Offensive Player of the Month.
There was some slippage against the Miami Dolphins last week, even though the Chiefs were able to post a 24-10 win. Benson had issues with some of Miami’s edge rushers, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes was hit more than usual.
The overall story is that Benson has stepped in seamlessly as Mahomes’ blindside protector so far, and the Chiefs are hoping that continues when the travel to Nevada to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. The game was considered to be a blowout at the start of the season, but now it’s become a battle of unbeaten teams atop the competitive AFC West.
