Former Chiefs OL Kahlil McKenzie signs with Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks have signed former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Kahlil McKenzie, which will be his second stint with the team.

Kahlil McKenzie has made quite the journey from team to team—and league to league—in his short career as a professional football player. The latest stop for McKenzie, an offensive lineman, is with the Seattle Seahawks—for the second time.

McKenzie first entered the National Football League as part of Brett Veach’s first-ever draft class as general manager for the Kansas City Chiefs. In the 2018 NFL Draft, Veach decided to take a chance on McKenzie as an offensive line prospect after McKenzie had starred as a defensive lineman at the University of Tennessee. It was known he’d be a long-term project, but the potential was obvious enough for Veach to take a flyer.

Unfortunately for both sides, the experiment was a bust after just over a calendar year with the team. McKenzie was cut shortly before the 2019 regular season began in favor of other project offensive linemen—including last year’s final draft pick Nick Allegretti—and McKenzie found himself looking for work. It was then that the Seattle Seahawks entered the picture for the first time.

McKenzie lasted the entire season on the Seahawks practice squad in 2019. From there, he signed with the XFL’s DC Defenders franchise in January to play in the upstart league. He was traded to the L.A. Wildcats before suffering a season-ending injury. Now with the XFL disbanded, the Seahawks have moved in again to secure McKenzie before the 2020 NFL Draft.

McKenzie is the son of former Oakland Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie (now with Miami).