Chiefs Tackle Named Best Offensive Rookie For First Half Of Season

The Kansas City Chiefs reached the halfway point of the season at 6-2, and there are plenty of reasons for optimism going forward. One of the biggest is Kahlil Benson, the undrafted rookie free agent from Indiana, who has quietly gone from unknown to possible left tackle of the future. 

It’s a remarkable development, and Bill Barnwell of ESPN recognized it by naming Benson as his offensive rookie of the year for the first half fo the season. 

As Barnwell noted, the  the Chiefs could have moved fellow tackle Jaylon Moore to the left side, but they elected to give the 24-year-old the job of protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. The Chiefs tried that Kingsley Suamataia two years ago, and according to Barnwell it cost them the season. Kansas City is still having issues with Suamataia, who is still “working out some things” with coach Andy Reid. 

But they made the right call with Benson. As Barnwell noted, Benson has looked “as if he belongs.” He’s given up only two sacks and five quick pressures across eight games at left tackle, per the writer, which he called above-average numbers for a team that throws the ball as often as the Chiefs. 

Moreover, Benson has been one-on-one on nearly 84 percent of his dropbacks, according to Barnwell, which is less often than hsi predecessor, Josh Simmons, who checked in at 87 percent. That’s been enough enough for the Chiefs to run their offense without needing to hide their left tackle, and Barnwell also noted that Kansas City has averaged 6.3 yards per carry on runs to the outside on the left side, which is the second-best mark in the league.

It’s not a settled situation, however. Benson was better in his first four games than he was in the four that followed, per the writer, with the Seattle Seahawks pass rush especially giving him trouble in Kansas City’s 20-3 loss. 

But that’s part of the process with a rookie like Benson, and the Chiefs are now going through a soft part of their schedule, including Sunday’s road tilt against the Atlanta Falcons. Barnwell still expects Simmons to be the starter if he does return at some point this season, but that’s very problematic given his issues with injuries and appropriate conduct at meetings. 

In the meantime the Chiefs will gladly live with what they’ve gotten so far, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for Benson to keep the job for good at this point.