In just over three months, Kingsley Suamataia could be making his first start for the Kansas City Chiefs. The defending Super Bowl champs are set to open their 2024 season against the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Sept. 5.
One of the biggest offseason questions for Kansas City is whether Suamataia will be ready to step into the starting role at left tackle. The Chiefs are on the hunt for a replacement for last year’s starter, who they didn't re-sign.
Here’s what’s been happening:
- **The Battle for Left Tackle**: NFL.com’s Kevin Patra called finding a new blind side protector for Super Bowl MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes the Chiefs’ top priority. “Remember last offseason when the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to a big-money deal with the plan to move him to left tackle, then changed their minds less than two months later?” Patra wrote. This year, it might be a similar situation with Suamataia and second-year tackle Wanya Morris set to compete for the LT duties.
- **Rookie Minicamp and OTAs**: Kansas City has already completed rookie minicamp and two OTA (organized team activity) sessions. They have a third session scheduled for this week (Tuesday through Friday). After that, a mandatory minicamp on June 11-13, then some downtime before training camp in late July.
- **Player Backgrounds**: Suamataia is coming off two years as a starter at BYU, where he played right tackle in 2022 and left tackle in 2023. Morris, on the other hand, played in 14 games and started four at left tackle in his rookie season. Pro Football Focus gave Morris a 55.6 overall grade last season, including a 47.1 run-blocking grade and 63.4 pass-blocking grade.
- **Chiefs Coach on Morris**: Before drafting Suamataia with the 63rd overall pick, Chiefs coach Andy Reid expressed confidence in Morris, while acknowledging the need for raised competition and expectations. “I thought it was a good introduction for him,” Reid said. “There’s got to be an improvement, there’s got to be an urgency there, which I know he feels.”
- **Offseason Moves**: The Chiefs didn’t re-sign the 30-year-old veteran Donovan Smith, paving the way for Suamataia or Morris to take over at left tackle. Meanwhile, veteran Jawaan Taylor is set to return as the starting right tackle.
- **Expert Opinions**: Pro Football Focus’ Zoltan Buday questioned whether the Chiefs have done enough to strengthen their offensive tackle situation, highlighting that the additions of Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor in 2023 didn’t yield the expected results. Now, Kansas City is hoping for better outcomes with Morris and the newly drafted Suamataia.
Suamataia himself is pumped to fight for a starting job early in his career. “I’ve obviously got to come in and learn the playbook, but I’m ready to go,” he told ESPN. “Healthy. Strong. ... I’ve got to put my best foot forward and outwork the guy in front of me.”
As the days tick down, all eyes will be on Suamataia and Morris to see who steps up to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. With training camp just around the corner, the competition is set to heat up, and Chiefs fans are eagerly awaiting the outcome.
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