THE CHIEFS GAVE UNDRAFTED TACKLE KHALIL BENSON A SHOT. NOW HE’S HELPING TO PROTECT PATRICK MAHOMES
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Thirty-two teams passed on offensive tackle Khalil Benson a total of 224 times in the NFL draft.
They all passed on him after the draft, too.
It wasn’t until the Kansas City Chiefs invited him to their rookie minicamp — no guarantees, no promises, no expectations beyond those the former Indiana lineman put upon himself — that Benson even found his way onto a professional practice field.
He hasn’t left since.
The right tackle charged with protecting Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza while helping the Hoosiers win the national title impressed the Chiefs enough to warrant a call-back for the rest of the offseason. Before long, Benson had worked his way through the depth chart, eventually getting reps with the starters and suddenly protecting two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.
Over the weekend, Benson was one of the bright spots for Kansas City in its preseason loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
“Honestly, I just kind of kept my head down,” Benson said, when asked about his long, circuitous, overcome-all-obstacles road to the NFL. “I knew my time was going to come and really just stayed humble. Stayed faithful. Kept praying to God. Just making sure that I was ready to be on call when it was that time.”
So how does a starting offensive lineman — one that stands 6-foot-6 and weighs about 320 pounds — on a national champion go almost entirely overlooked coming out of college? It’s a question a lot of folks are asking these days.
Benson was similarly overlooked coming out of Southaven High School, which sits just across the Mississippi line from Memphis, Tennessee. He wound up going to Indiana but tore his ACL during preseason practices, forcing him to redshirt that season. He did not play at all the following year, which was the season played amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Benson finally played in 2022, including five starts for the Hoosiers at right guard, and he started all 12 games the next year, when it seemed as if his star was ascending. But then coach Tom Allen was fired after a 3-9 finish and Benson transferred to Colorado, where he played nine games for coach Deion Sanders and protected his son and quarterback, Shedeur Sanders.
After dealing with yet more injuries with the Buffaloes, Benson opted to transfer back to Indiana for his final season of college.
“I mean, he’s got talent,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, when asked why no NFL teams seemed willing to give Benson a chance. “I’m not sure.”
Benson has certainly made the most of the opportunity Kansas City has given him.
The Chiefs appeared to be set along the line, returning first-round pick Josh Simmons at left tackle, Kingsley Suamataia at guard, four-time Pro Bowl center Creed Humphrey, two-time Pro Bowl pick Trey Smith at the other guard and Jaylon Moore at right tackle.
Soon, though, Benson was rotating with Moore in the starting group. And when Smith missed practice recently because of a hip injury, Benson showed some versatility by kicking inside, offering positional flexibility that has become so important in the NFL these days.
“He’s learning,” Reid said. “Very strong, powerful, good feet, good athletic ability. And he’s working at it — the consistency part, scheme-wise — so physically he’s got all the tools there. So we’ll just keep working at it and see where it goes.”
Given that Mahomes is coming off a torn knee ligament, there has never been more pressure on the offensive line in Kansas City than this season. But even Mahomes has taken note of the new guy lining up in front of him.
“If you can fix your mistakes, and get better and better each and every day, usually good things happen,” Mahomes said, “and that’s what he’s done ever since he’s been here. I mean, it started in the OTAs and the rookie minicamp, honestly. I remember watching film on that and seeing that guy and seeing him kind of do stuff the right way. And he’s kind of built and got better and better.
“Now,” Mahomes added, “it’s about how can he stack and how can he go to a preseason game and how can he get himself ready for the regular season? We still have a long way to go, but I’m happy with the progress so far.”
NOTES: First-round pick Mansoor Delane shed his yellow no-contact jersey for the first time in camp Monday. The cornerback had been working through a shoulder injury. “It looks like he’s healing up pretty good,” Reid said. “We’ll just monitor it, see how he does with extended play.” … Smith remained out of practice Monday, and Reid said it is possible he will not be back this week. … LB Jack Cochrane left with a knee injury, though it is not believed to be serious.
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VIKINGS PLACE VETERAN JAMAL ADAMS ON INJURED RESERVE, SIGN CB BRYCE PHILLIPS
EAGAN, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Vikings safety/linebacker Jamal Adams was placed on injured reserve Monday, two days after leaving a preseason game on a cart with a right knee injury.
Adams, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is expected to have season-ending surgery.
The 30-year-old Adams was injured in his first game with Minnesota after signing on the eve of the start of training camp.
The Vikings signed cornerback Bryce Phillips to fill Adams’ spot on the roster. Phillips originally entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent with Kansas City following the 2026 NFL draft. His brother, Clark Phillips III, plays cornerback for Atlanta after starring collegiately at Utah.
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PACKERS’ IMPROVED DEPTH AT CORNERBACK LEAVES KEISEAN NIXON FIGHTING TO KEEP HIS STARTING SPOT
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Boosting their cornerback depth was paramount for the Green Bay Packers as they sought roster upgrades after capping a five-game skid to end their 2025 season with a wild-card playoff collapse.
The impact of their moves is evident from the fact that Keisean Nixon, the Packers’ top cornerback a year ago, finds himself in a competition to keep his starting spot. Nixon occasionally has worked with the second-team defense in training camp following the Packers’ offseason additions of rookie second-round draft pick Brandon Cisse and veteran free agent Benjamin St-Juste.
“I guess I’m being punished right now, I guess, I don’t know,” Nixon said. “I don’t really worry about what I’m running in camp, ones or twos, I just keep my process and just compete — for real.”
Nixon, a two-time All-Pro kick returner, earned his first Pro Bowl selection on defense last year as an injury replacement. He is the only cornerback in the NFL to have at least 70 tackles, six passes defensed and an interception in each of the last three seasons.
But that doesn’t mean he has anything locked up this year.
“We have a corner competition,” new Packers secondary coach Bobby Babich said Friday, a day after Green Bay’s preseason opener. “That’s what we have.”
The Packers also return Carrington Valentine, who has started 30 games over the last three seasons but missed part of training camp with a leg injury.
Green Bay’s lack of cornerback depth last year was apparent when the Packers gave up 25 fourth-quarter points and blew a 21-3 halftime lead in a 31-27 playoff loss at Chicago. Three weeks earlier, the Packers fell 22-16 in overtime at Chicago after allowing the Bears to score on each of their last four possessions.
Head coach Matt LaFleur discussed what he wants from his cornerbacks.
“Obviously, it starts with doing your right assignment, and then it comes down to your style of play,” LaFleur said. “How are you competing going after the ball, not only in the pass game but in the run game, as well? Are you sticking your nose in there? We need corners that are willing and capable tacklers.”
Cisse and St-Juste are showing promise
Cisse has made a noteworthy first impression in that regard as he begins his pro career after playing at N.C. State (2023-24) and South Carolina (2025).
“The guy’s a film junkie, wants to be really good, puts in the work that it takes to be really good,” Babich said. “It’s similar to some of the rookies that I’ve been around in my past that have success early on, specifically at that position and it’s really about the way he goes about his work.”
Cisse believes there’s still plenty of work to do.
“Obviously there’s going to be moments where you see flashes and things like that, but there’s a lot of growing pains I’m also going through,” he said. “I need to get better at those things. I’m just excited to clean it up and continue to get better every day.”
St. Juste also has stood out.
Although he played only 35% of the Los Angeles Chargers’ defensive snaps last season, St-Juste performed well enough in those opportunities that his Pro Football Focus rating ranked 12th among all NFL cornerbacks.
“I like the fact that with the limited amount of snaps that I had, I was capitalizing on it,” St-Juste said. “Every time, every chance I had to be on the field, I was either in good coverage making a play. I’m just trying to build on that, add more reps this year and make more plays and slowly start to ascend as a player.”
Nixon has overcome adversity before
Nixon’s background suggests he won’t give up his starting spot without a fight. He had to work his way to get to this point.
“I don’t view myself in no competition,” Nixon said. “I come here to compete for myself. What they do and who they choose, that’s out of my control.”
Nixon, 29, spent his first three seasons primarily as a special teams contributor with the Raiders after signing as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina. He came to Green Bay in 2022 and emerged as an All-Pro kick returner his first two seasons with the Packers while gradually getting more playing time on defense.
He became the Packers’ top cornerback when injuries limited Jaire Alexander for much of the 2024 season and maintained that role after Alexander was released in the summer of 2025.
“Everybody knows my story,” Nixon said. “I came from the bottom, got to where I’m at. It doesn’t bother me running with the twos, threes. It don’t matter. It’s hard to keep me off the field. So when it’s time to play, I know what time it is.”
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JAGUARS PLANNING TO PLAY STARTERS IN PRESEASON GAME AGAINST PANTHERS
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are planning to play starters in their next preseason game, against Carolina on Friday night.
Coach Liam Coen said Monday he expects quarterback Trevor Lawrence and others to get “a couple drives, potentially” against the Panthers. It’s a reversal for Coen, who previously had no intention of putting his first-team offense and defense at risk in any exhibitions.
“You just look at the amount of padded (practices) we actually have left until the game week, and it’s very few and far between,” Coen said. “You set a schedule, and timing and circumstances, things change and you have to pivot a little bit. … I think we need a little bit more padded work against each other, good on good.”
Jacksonville played no starters in its preseason opener at New Orleans on Saturday and rallied to win, 24-20. But a rash of injuries, most notably along the offensive line and at linebacker, prompted Coen to not hold practice in full pads Monday. Backup quarterback Nick Mullens and offensive tackle Chuma Edoga were among those who sat out practice.
The Jaguars have a joint practice (in full pads) scheduled with the Panthers on Wednesday. Coen made it clear that regardless of how things pan out this week, there’s no chance any starters will play in the team’s preseason finale against Tampa Bay on Aug. 28.
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REPORTS: GIANTS SIGN QB JAKE HAENER, WORK OUT RB NAJEE HARRIS
The New York Giants are signing veteran quarterback Jake Haener, NFL Network reported on Monday.
Free agent running back Najee Harris could be next after visiting the team on Monday, according to ESPN.
Haener, 27, worked out for the Giants late last month and adds depth behind starter Jaxson Dart. New York also has Jameis Winston and Brandon Allen on the roster.
Haener played in eight games (one start) for the New Orleans Saints in 2024, completing 18 of 39 passes for 226 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He was released by the Saints in January and signed the next month by the Kansas City Chiefs, who waived him on May 4.American Football
Harris, 28, was a first-round draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2021 and made the Pro Bowl as a rookie. He ran for more than 1,000 yards in each of his four seasons with the Steelers (2021-24) before making three appearances last season with the Los Angeles Chargers.
Harris has rushed for 4,373 yards and 28 touchdowns and caught 183 passes for 1,174 yards and six scores in 71 career games (68 starts).
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NFL TRANSACTIONS ROUNDUP: PANTHERS SIGN TE DARREN WALLER
–The Panthers officially added tight end Darren Waller and waived offensive lineman Joshua Gray and outside linebacker Nick Hampton on Monday.
Waller, 33, ended his retirement to play for the Dolphins last season, posting 24 receptions for 283 yards and six touchdowns in six games.
Over nine seasons with four teams, the sixth-round pick of the Ravens in 2015 has 374 receptions for 4,407 yards with 26 scores in 95 games (66 starts). His lone Pro Bowl selection came in 2020.
Gray, 26, joined the Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2025 but did not appear in a game.
Hampton, 26, was a fifth-round selection of the Rams in 2023 and played three seasons with Los Angeles. In 36 games, he totaled 17 tackles and two passes defensed.Shopping For American Football Gear
–The Texans signed former Jets starting cornerback Bryce Hall.
Hall, 28, has not played in an NFL game since sustaining a fractured fibula and dislocated ankle in the 2024 season opener while playing for the Buccaneers. He was on their practice squad last season.
A fifth-round pick by New York in 2020, he has recorded two interceptions, 21 passes defensed, one fumble recovery and 122 tackles in 40 games (26 starts) with the Jets (2020-23) and Bucs.
–The Falcons released punter Matthew Hayball and offensive lineman Layden Robinson.
With the release of the 29-year-old Hayball, who has one year of NFL experience with the Saints in 2024, Jake Bailey will be Atlanta’s punter after signing a three-year, $9 million contract in the offseason.
Robinson, 25, appeared in 13 games (11 starts) for the Patriots in 2024, after the team selected him in the fourth round of the NFL draft that year. He was let go by the Patriots early last season and spent time on the practice squad of the Raiders.
–The Bills signed linebacker Otis Reese IV and released fullback Jackson Acker.
Three days after releasing him, the Bills re-signed Reese for this third stint with the team in less than a year. The 28-year-old spent two weeks on Buffalo’s practice squad last season before joining the Patriots’ practice squad.
Waived on July 31 by the Patriots, Reese re-signed with the Bills on Aug. 6.
Reese played in 20 games (five starts) with the Titans in 2023-24, collecting 38 tackles and one interception.
Acker, 23, an undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin, rushed for 415 yards and three TDs to go with 276 receiving yards and three scores in 50 games.
–The Eagles signed cornerback Isaiah Bolden and released offensive lineman Hollin Pierce.
A seventh-round pick of the Patriots in 2023, the 26-year-old Bolden played in 14 games in 2024 and also spent time with the 49ers and the UFL’s Louisville Kings.
Pierce, 25, joined the Eagles last season but the undrafted free agent out of Rutgers did not play in a regular-season game.
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