Coming out of the first preseason game, the biggest injury concern for the Kansas City Chiefs at this point isn't the first-round corner just getting back to work or the star quarterback returning from knee surgery. Both Mansoor Delane and Patrick Mahomes look healthy and are trending in the right direction, which leaves Trey Smith as the greatest worry for Chiefs Kingdom in terms of player health.
Smith sat out the Chiefs' first preseason game against the L.A. Rams due to a hip injury that flared up for the first time more than one week ago. Since then, Smith has missed every practice, despite Chiefs head coach Andy Reid's insistence that it was a short-term concern. On Monday, Reid spoke to reporters and once again provided a generic yet encouraging report on Smith.
Trey's doing good," said Reid. "We'll see. I mean, he's getting close. So we'll just see where it goes here. I don't know if you'll see him this week, but he's getting close." That sounds eerily similar to Reid's update from a week ago, which failed to provide any specifics yet maintained a positive outlook.
Reid's word should serve as gospel truth here, since he would know, but the injury here is still notable going forward. A hip issue requiring a specialist's visit could be a one-time event, but the concern is that it becomes a lingering problem. Smith had also never missed a single start in his NFL career until last season, when a back injury took him out from Weeks 13-15. He also couldn't finish the season after playing through ankle pain.
The Chiefs have leaned on rookie lineman Kahlil Benson, who signed with the team after a rookie minicamp tryout in May, in his place, which means the injury is also clouding the picture at right tackle. Benson was logging starter's reps on the outside, putting him in a clear competition with Jaylon Moore for a first team role. With Smith out, Benson is now learning to play at guard with Moore in at tackle.
Even if Trey Smith's hip injury isn't specifically a long-term concern, it's still a talking point within the bigger picture.
Reid went on to discuss the right tackle battle and the forced fill-in for Smith, saying that the reps for Benson were good to learn inside. The Chiefs also put Moore at right guard in practice on Monday and moved Benson back outside.
"Moore has been doing a great job there for us, but with that, Benson doesn't get any reps at it, and we want him to go against the better players and continue to grow there, so we just flopped them over and let Moore get some reps at guard, and Benson get some reps at the tackle spot," said Reid. "But Benson held his own at the guard spot in the game, and listen, they need to be able to play both as we go through this thing. It's a good experience for him. But it's not one or the other. Like I said, Moore's been... he's put together a lot of good days here and played good [on Saturday]."
Smith isn't in any danger of losing his starting spot, of course. The two-time Pro Bowler was given a lucrative contract extension before the '25 season because he's one of the league's best maulers up front. But the health issues over the last 10 months or so are eye-opening after watching him serve as a steady presence next to Creed Humphrey since they both arrived in the NFL in the class of 2021. Given his experience, the Chiefs don't need to rush anything with Smith since the season won't officially begin for nearly a month. But the hip injury is something to bookmark after back and ankle issues flared up just last fall.
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