The Kansas City Chiefs’ first preseason game is on the horizon, meaning a few position battles could have serious changes soon. Player performances will put quality tape on the docket, allowing Andy Reid and his staff to fill out depth charts as they see fit in subsequent days.
Left tackle may be the position with the most eyes on it. Recent Day 2 draft picks Kingsley Suamataia (2024) and Wanya Morris (2023) make up the competition, which has taken shape since the former was selected out of BYU back in April.
With camp now a couple of weeks in the books for everyone, Reid provided an update on Suamataia’s progress.
“He’s worked in with those starters, and he’s doing a nice job there,” Reid said. “He’s working, number one, hard, on the things we’re trying to teach him. There are a lot of new things that he’s working, and he’s playing aggressive and getting better every day. He’s not taking steps back, which is important. He’s getting to go against good players, which also is important, and competing there.”
A two-year starter during college, Suamataia has plenty of experience on both sides of the offensive line despite being just 21 years old. With that said, the Cougars’ offense is far from the same style Reid and Co. run in Kansas City. Suamataia’s lack of true pass set reps has been brought up countless times this offseason from those outside the building, and for good reason.
Still, though, it’s hard to not be intrigued by the rookie’s blend of youth, athleticism and upside. He’s a fluid mover in space who can reach down the field quickly, as evidenced by training camp thus far. He’s also rough around the edges, and that’s something that pass-rush specialists like Chris Jones have exploited during practice. There’s a reason why the battle is still just that: a battle. Morris remains a formidable option.
Through a good chunk of workouts, the Chiefs have rotated some of their pieces along the line. Morris is one of them, with him getting some work at left guard during this week of drills before leaving with an injury that seems to be minor. When asked whether that signals a win for Suamataia, Reid wasn’t willing to declare anything yet.
“Not necessarily,” Reid said. “It gives us a chance to let Wanya work a little guard. Andy (Heck) moves those guys around. You saw (Lucas) Niang last week, so Wanya got a shot at it today. It’s not a permanent thing – that’s not what it is. It’s just having a shot to get in there and see what we’ve got and what he can do there.”
Reid continued to explain that because Suamataia is a rookie, the team doesn’t want to put too much on his plate right now. With that in mind, it’s easy to see a world in which Morris getting left guard reps is a good sign for his development. Perhaps Kansas City wants to see more of Suamataia and feels comfortable with where Morris is at in regards to playing tackle.
Either way, August 10 can’t get here soon enough for the back-to-back champs. That debut preseason outing against the Jacksonville Jaguars will give both Suamataia and Morris chances to make quality impressions. Whoever shines could have a leg up on locking down the job for Week 1, with the other being forced to play catch-up.
