In the 2024 offseason, the Chiefs were looking to fill a massive hole at left tackle after Donovan Smith hit free agency. In the second round of the 2024 draft, the Chiefs selected Kingsley Suamataia out of BYU to compete for the spot with other former draft picks like Lucas Niang and Wanya Morris. He won the job for week one, and expectations were sky high.
Suamataia was a five-star recruit from Utah before making his commitment to BYU, where he got plenty of experience playing both tackle spots. In Kansas City, Kingsley struggled mightily, especially in pass protection, and was eventually benched in favor of Wanya Morris. Left tackle was a revolving door all season, with Suamataia, Morris, and Joe Thuney all playing on Mahomes' blind side throughout the year.
The Chiefs' offensive line struggled all year, especially at left tackle, but they continued to grind out close games all the way to the Super Bowl. Against the Eagles, the offensive line collapsed and the Chiefs' offense was never able to put anything together. Going into the offseason, the number one priority was for the Chiefs as they looked to protect their $500 million quarterback in 2025.
Kansas City was determined to make a change, signing Jaylon Moore to a two-year deal at the very beginning of free agency. But Brett Veach was not taking any chances and doubled down, selecting Joshua Simmons out of Ohio State in the first round. The Chiefs traded away Joe Thuney in the offseason, and from there, the competition on the offensive line began.
The two tackle spots became a battle between Joshua Simmons, Jaylon Moore, and Jawaan Taylor. On the interior, the competition for left guard began, with Trey Smith locking down the right guard spot. Kingsley Suamataia has always been the favorite, but Mike Caliendo and Jaylon Moore will fight for the job along with UDFAs like Dalton Cooper and Esa Pole.
In the preseason, Suamataia has been running with the ones, and there have been some ugly reps, leading to a lot of online criticism by fans. All of a sudden, the fight for the LG starting job became real, and many have been calling for Jaylon Moore to get a shot on the interior. But patience with Kingsley will be important, and he will continue to develop and improve on the interior.
The transition from tackle to guard is not an easy one, and Suamataia will be doing it for the first time. At BYU, he did play both tackle spots, but has not had any experience playing at guard outside of practices. The expectations for Kingsley are high, but it is unfair for fans to expect that the transition will go perfectly. There will be bumps in the road, but they will all be a part of the learning process.
In the 2024 draft, I graded Suamtaia as a "project lineman" who I felt had a lot of upside, and would be a great fit at guard, but needed time to refine his game. Scouts felt Suamataia could stick at tackle after his arm length was measured at 34 1/4, well over the benchmark for NFL tackles. But my concern fit Suamataia was always slow feet and struggles with posture in pass protection.
Dominating power and good movement skills, both laterally and vertically upfield, made me think Kingsley would better fit on the interior. The Chiefs gave him a shot at tackle, but now, after a year, have elected to move him inside where they hope he will find success.
Unfortunately, there will be bumps in the road, and no amount of practice can prepare someone for game speed on the offensive line. When Suamataia was drafted, we knew he was a project and needed time to develop, but so far, he has not been dealt a very good hand. Ideally, Kingsley would have sat out to learn and develop as a rookie, but since he has been thrown in the fire, fans need to allow him time to develop his skillset at guard before they make their final judgment.