The Kansas City Chiefs lost their second preseason game 16-15 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and appear to have a right tackle problem heading into the regular season.
The Kansas City Chiefs benched most of their projected starters in their 16-15 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but two key players battled for a leg-up in the starting right tackle job.
Veteran right tackle Jaylon Moore, who signed a two-year, $30 million contract with the Chiefs last offseason, and undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson both saw playing time but didn’t do much to pull ahead of the other.
Benson had a strong showing in training camp and looked like the clear favorite to be quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ right-hand man at the tackle position, but he took a step back in Saturday’s loss, and it may have just moved him to right guard for the regular season.
“Benson's performance Saturday, however, was quite disappointing,” ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote Saturday. “He struggled in pass protection, surrendering quick pressure to rookie Rueben Bain Jr. and a strip-sack to outside linebacker Anthony Nelson.
“At this point, the Chiefs likely move Benson to guard, where he played much better against the Los Angeles Rams last week.”
Nelson is a solid player with tons of experience, while Bain was one of the most talented players taken in the first round of the 2026 National Football League draft, but it’s still concerning if you’re the Chiefs.
It’s preseason, the time to work out the hiccups, but it seems like he will likely end up starting this season anyway. Benson would benefit from a great final appearance against the Seattle Seahawks, though. He had a 33.4 pass-block rating against Tampa Bay.
Moore didn’t fare much better. He had just a 40.7 pass-block rating and didn’t move with a lot of quickness or anticipation.
“Jaylon Moore, a five-year veteran, hasn't been impressive, either,” Taylor wrote. “But Moore is likely the Chiefs' most ideal option. The only other possibility is Esa Pole, a second-year player who took snaps Saturday at left tackle with the second-team offense.”
Pole posted the best pass-blocking grade among the three contenders at 41.4, but only by a narrow margin. He still looks like a young player finding his footing, though a strong finish to the preseason could earn him a spot in the regular season rotation.
Left tackle Josh Simmons (back) and right guard Trey Smith (hip) will be missed if they don’t play during the beginning of the season, but their injuries aren’t viewed as serious in head coach Andy Reid’s eyes.
The preseason finale is on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. CDT on ESPN Unlimited.
