Complete Chiefs Inactives for Week 1 vs. Broncos: 2 Key Starters and More Missing Opener

Take it all in: Kansas City Chiefs football is back. No frills. No gimmicks. Just pure regular-season football in a classic rivalry game against the Denver Broncos.

Unfortunately for head coach Andy Reid and company, they'll be without some key players against Sean Payton's Denver crew. That doesn't mean the hosts are doomed, but it does give them a bit more of an uphill battle against one of football's best rosters.

One starter on each side of the ball is sitting this one out due to injury, and KC has decided what other members of the 53-man roster will be inactive on game day. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes returning from a torn ACL and LCL is the biggest storyline, although the availability of others on Monday Night Football is worth noting.

With that in mind, here's who's inactive for Kansas City and Denver in Monday's matchup.

Kansas City Chiefs inactives vs. Denver Broncos

Here are the Chiefs' inactives for tonight's season opener against the Broncos -- Josh Simmons (lower back), Chamarri Conner (knee), Garrett Nussmeier, Jared Wiley, Diego Pounds, Bryson Eason & LB Jack Pyburn.
— Nate Taylor (@ByNateTaylor) September 14, 2026

TE Jared Wiley
QB Garrett Nussmeier (third quarterback)
S Chamarri Conner
DE Jack Pyburn
OT Diego Pounds
OT Josh Simmons
DT Bryson Eason

As expected, the duo of left tackle Josh Simmons and safety Chamarri Conner headlines the Chiefs' inactives for Monday. Simmons is nursing a back injury that head coach Andy Reid says he's making progress on, albeit not enough for last year's first-round pick to return to practice in any capacity just yet. Conner, meanwhile, had a knee injury creep up and also didn't practice this week.

Elsewhere, the absence of Pounds confirms that fellow undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson seems in line to start in place of Simmons. Eason and Pyburn, both claimed on the waiver wire following roster cuts, are out for Week 1. Defensive tackle Marcus Harris and fullback Ben VanSumeren, called up from the practice squad via standard elevation, are suited up.

An underrated development is defensive end Ashton Gillotte playing through a ruptured plantar fascia suffered during training camp. The sophomore edge rusher is expected to be a starter on defense, but that's a painful ailment to play through. Despite that, the former third-rounder was a full participant in each practice this week.

Defensive tackle Chris Jones, limited by a calf injury late in the week, is active.

Denver Broncos inactives vs. Kansas City Chiefs

QB Sam Ehlinger (third quarterback)
RB Tyler Badie
OL Kage Casey
TE Dallen Bentley
DL Jordan Jackson
DT Tyler Onyedim

👀 our inactives for #DENvsKC.

📰 » https://t.co/vMxpvG8tqJ pic.twitter.com/FhhAmjK1uR
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) September 14, 2026

Denver came into the week with a remarkably clean bill of health. As of Monday, only wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. was listed on the club's injury report. He fought through a bit of a foot issue during the week but didn't miss any practice reps, thus paving the way for him to not carry a game status for Week 1.

As far as the Broncos' inactives are concerned, it's mostly end-of-roster pieces. Onyedim, the team's first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, finds himself riding the pine to kick off his NFL career. Badie, whom many Chiefs fans might be familiar with from his time at the nearby University of Missouri, played in 16 games a season ago but won't be participating in this one.

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