The Kansas City Chiefs outplayed the Denver Broncos for a huge chunk of their Week 8 meeting, only to give the game away near the end and fail to recover before the clock hit zeroes. That doesn't mean there wasn't plenty of good to take away from the contest, though, particularly regarding the club's young players.

Multiple first and second-year pieces continued to make names for themselves on Sunday, ranging from early-round NFL Draft selections by general manager Brett Veach to lesser-discussed pickups. Where does everyone stand as a new week of play begins?

Following Week 8, let's break down the Chiefs' rookies and sophomores by ranking each qualifying 53-man roster member in tiers. Be sure to return to this series each week to see who's moving and shaking.

Defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, whose practice window was recently opened, isn't included due to him still being on the physically unable to perform list.

Left tackle Josh Simmons sits this one out after going to injured reserve. The same applies to running back Brashard Smith.

The young standout tier

• CB Nohl Williams
• CB Mansoor Delane
• DE R Mason Thomas
• DE Ashton Gillotte
• RB Emmett Johnson

The secondary duo of cornerbacks Nohl Williams and Mansoor Delane could be one of the Chiefs' most important tandems for the next couple of years. Williams has certainly held up his end of the bargain this year. Delane missed more time with a lingering shoulder injury, which head coach Andy Reid acknowledged will be a thing for a while.

"It's just a matter of being strong, strong enough to get out there," Reid said on Monday. "So there's a good chance he'll be able to get — or at least a chance — that he'll be able to get himself out there this week. But again, it's just how strong it is. We will see; that's going to be a day-to-day thing. If he can do it, he can do it. If not, (Kristian) Fulton did a nice job in there.”

Second-round defensive end R Mason Thomas had one of Kansas City's many Week 8 penalties, albeit while also recording a batted pass on the Broncos' third drive and continuing to flash plenty of athletic upside. Second-year man Ashton Gillotte, who's come on strong in recent weeks, played terrific run defense all afternoon and into the evening.

The (positive) story of the game, however, was fifth-round running back Emmett Johnson. His 15-yard rush featuring multiple broken tackles and his fourth-quarter kickoff return were both nice, but his value in the passing game managed to outshine everything else. Johnson finished with five receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown, potentially earning an increased role in the process.

Emmett Johnson has been the best RB of Week 8. pic.twitter.com/gUEU7EuAjB https://t.co/zwPbXZSinX

— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) November 1, 2026

The to-be-determined tier

• OT Kahlil Benson
• WR Cyrus Allen
• DT Peter Woods
• DT Bryson Eason
• CB Jadon Canady
• WR Jalen Royals

The book is clearly out on undrafted tackle Kahlil Benson, but that can't be held against him too much considering he's being asked to fill a role he isn't suited for over this many games. Speaking of role, rookie wideout Cyrus Allen played a career-high 31 offensive snaps in Week 8 and had a couple of catches, including a big-time one on third down. The glaring red flag from his performance, unfortunately, was a missed connection on a deep ball he just didn't seem prepared for.

Defensive tackle Peter Woods, the second of Kansas City's two first-round picks, left Sunday's defeat to Denver with a neck injury. He's still flying under the radar overall, preventing him from going back to the upper tier of Chiefs youngsters. With Woods hurt, August waiver wire addition Bryson Eason was on the field for 20 defensive snaps (32.3% of those available) but didn't notch a tackle.

Once L'Jarius Sneed went to injured reserve, KC was immediately tasked with producing a slot replacement on defense. Fourth-round pick Jadon Canady wasn't a huge part of the solution, although his seven snaps played were significant nonetheless. The 23-year-old had a solid third-and-7 tackle on receiver Marvin Mims to open the second half and also closed on a play later in the third frame.

Wide receiver Jalen Royals' workload wasn't expected to increase with Rashee Rice back from a hamstring injury. Now that Allen is flashing some of his ability and the Chiefs are still rumored to be shopping for a wideout on the trade market, that'll only become more so the case.

The primary special teams tier

• TE Jake Briningstool
• S Xavier Nwankpa
• LB Jeffrey Bassa

For the first time since Week 1, former Clemson tight end Jake Briningstool converted on his lone target of the game and had a positive reception. That marked his second straight outing with just five offensive snaps.

Safety Xavier Nwankpa hasn't seen the field on defense since the last time the Chiefs won a game. Linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, who's made a nice special teams play or two for Dave Toub this year, still can't really crack the rotation for Steve Spagnuolo's unit.

The game day inactive tier

• OT Diego Pounds
• QB Garrett Nussmeier
• DE Jack Pyburn

As usual, nothing to see here. After being active but not registering a snap in Week 7, tackle Diego Pounds sat out this one. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier assumed his weekly role as the emergency third signal-caller, with defensive end Jack Pyburn once again being organizational depth who won't play in games barring an injury to someone else.