Five Storylines to Watch in Chiefs Preseason Week 1 Against the Los Angeles Rams

The Kansas City Chiefs take the field this afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium for the first time in 2026, and while the excitement of live football is always welcome, this one is not about the top of the depth chart.

For starters, Patrick Mahomes will not suit up. Andy Reid confirmed that much earlier this week. Reid has given no indication about the rest of the starters, but in a game where both teams will see each other again when it counts later this season, do not expect a full reveal of what either offense or defense has to offer.

The storylines worth tracking this afternoon center on players who are more than likely to get significant runway. Of course, it would be great to see how ready Rashee Rice is for the season, but it is not likely that he will see a ton of snaps in this one. The same goes for Xavier Worthy and Tyquan Thornton. What Saturday is really about is the guys who need the reps and the evaluation time. Here are the five storylines worth watching most closely.

Kahlil Benson in Live Action for the First Time

This is the storyline that needs no embellishment. Kahlil Benson was not drafted. He was not even signed immediately after the draft. He came to Kansas City as a rookie minicamp tryout player before Brett Veach liked what he saw enough to ink him to a deal.

Since then, he has been one of the most talked-about players in St. Joseph, taking first-team reps at right tackle and generating buzz from coaches and teammates alike.

The wrinkle heading into Saturday is that Trey Smith's hip injury has pushed Benson inside to right guard, at least to start the game, while his competition, Jaylon Moore, slides back to right tackle.

That is not the ideal situation for evaluating right tackle, given that the competition has been the more compelling story. Smith's injury is said to be short-term, so this arrangement may be temporary, but for now, it is what it is.

The expectation is that Benson will start at guard before kicking out to tackle once the second team takes over.

Cyrus Allen, Whether He Plays a Lot or a Little

Cyrus Allen is a storyline no matter how the Chiefs choose to deploy him Saturday. If he gets significant reps, he will have a chance to show the rest of the league what has had everyone in St. Joseph generating excitement since the first day of camp. If he exits early alongside Worthy, Rice, and Thornton, it tells you something equally important: the Chiefs view him as a real part of their offensive plans for 2026.

The fifth-round pick out of Cincinnati came into camp with an intriguing profile as one of the better man-beaters in a receiver room that has largely thrived against zone coverage. He has seemingly built trust with Mahomes faster than most rookies do, and Andy Reid publicly noted it twice in the span of two days when camp began.

He also had a scare with a shin injury that briefly had Chiefs Kingdom holding its breath, which, in its own way, underscored just how thin the receiver room is. Allen breaking out as a fifth-round rookie would go a long way toward lengthening the depth of the room.

He is not going to unseat Rashee Rice or Xavier Worthy. But if he can carve out a defined role as a slot contributor and man-beater, this offense has a dimension it has been missing. Saturday is the first time we get to see whether the hype is real against live competition.

The Rookie Class Gets Its Debut

As always, the rookies are the most fun storyline to track in the preseason. It is the first time Chiefs Kingdom gets to see their new hopes and dreams in red and gold, after all. The first two storylines on this list are both rookies, which only reinforces the point. This year's class has fascination at every level.

Sixth overall pick Mansoor Delane is unlikely to play, given that he has only participated in padded practice while wearing a non-contact jersey due to his shoulder. That is a storyline in itself, but the evaluation there will have to wait.

The rookie generating the most momentum outside of Allen is defensive tackle Peter Woods. It is the first chance to see whether he can be the running mate with pass-rush juice that Chris Jones has never quite had alongside him. This is the type of competition that a guy like Woods could take over a game with, depending on how much playing time he gets.

R Mason Thomas will be one of the more intriguing names to track on the defensive side. The second-round edge rusher profiles as a pass-rush specialist in year one, and Saturday is his first chance to put his speed and get-off on display against NFL competition.

Jadon Canady should also see significant time at nickel corner, which is the position he was drafted to play and one the Chiefs needed answers at over the past few seasons.

On the offensive side, running back Emmett Johnson and quarterback Garrett Nussmeier should both get extended opportunities to run with the second unit. Johnson could be in line to take the most carries on the roster.

Nussmeier, a draft-day faller who was projected as high as the second or third round before the Chiefs grabbed him in the seventh, will have plenty to gain. The Chiefs have not carried a third quarterback since 2023, and with Mahomes sitting and Justin Fields as the clear number two, Nussmeier could see a lot of football Saturday to try to change that.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah's First Live Audition Since 2025 Preseason

This one carries real weight, which comes with the territory when you get labeled a first-round bust.

Felix Anudike-Uzomah was a first-round pick out of Kansas State in the 2023 NFL Draft, selected in front of a home crowd when Kansas City hosted the event. Three years later, he has three sacks and 25 pressures to his name across two seasons, as last year did not happen at all after a hamstring injury in the preseason.

What has made this camp different is that coaches have noticed a visible change in his explosion off the ball, which was the most persistent knock throughout his NFL career. Both Reid and Spagnuolo noted it independently, and with Gillotte sidelined, Anudike-Uzomah has been getting first-team reps and making the most of them.

The same caveat that applies to Allen applies here. If the Chiefs have real plans for Anudike-Uzomah in 2026, he may not get as much runway as fans would like. But if he is on the field for an extended stretch Saturday, it is the first real chance to see whether the training camp reports translate to live action.

Can Any Depth Pieces Rise Up the Depth Chart?

Jalen Royals was a fourth-round pick a year ago who finished 2025 with two catches for four yards on 86 snaps. Neither of those targets came from Mahomes, either. With Cyrus Allen now in the picture, Royals are in real danger of falling further down the depth chart in year two rather than rising. A strong showing on Saturday does not guarantee anything, but a poor one starts to cement doubt in many people's minds.

Jeffrey Bassa was a fifth-round pick in that same draft class and played 39 defensive snaps as a rookie. The 15 tackles and a forced fumble he produced in that limited role were encouraging, but Bassa's path to meaningful defensive snaps is not as clear as it looked coming into camp. He is a special teams ace for now, and Saturday is a chance to add to his resume.

Kristian Fulton is a different situation entirely. He is a veteran on a $20 million deal, playing behind Nohl Williams and waiting for Mansoor Delane to get healthy. If Fulton does not show up as one of the most reliable corners on the field during the preseason, it is unclear if Fulton will ever work in Kansas City. After a lost 2025 season in which he played just eight games, Saturday is a real test of whether he can reclaim the form that earned him that contract in the first place.

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