OT Kahlil Benson won a National Championship with the Indiana Hoosiers last season, but that celebration didn't carry over into April when he went undrafted. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him up, and with his size, you'd understand why. The 24-year-old is 6-foot-6 and 319 pounds and is looking to shore up a position that was a bit of a laughing stock for the Chiefs last season.
The Chiefs used Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris unsuccessfully as the two were frequently flagged and ineffective. The team moved on from both of them and were expected to rely on incumbent OT Jaylon Moore on the right side. However, it has been Benson running with the starters through the first week-and-a-half of training camp. Benson has played well enough to get the vote of approval from RB Kenneth Walker III.
Moore and Benson split the first-team work in practice Monday, but Benson took all the snaps with the starters Tuesday. Per Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star, head coach Andy Reid acknowledged his talent while still noting he would like to see it shine through once the pads came on in uncomfortable temperatures.
“I want to see how he does as we go,” Reid said. “Can you pound through those two-and-a-half-hour practices in the heat with pads on? And how do you handle that?”
If Benson wins the job, the Chiefs suddenly have a big salary cap situation to resolve. Moore is in the final year of a two-year deal with a $15 million salary, a $18,685,000 cap hit and a $10,745,000 dead cap hit if he's released.
