The Kansas City Chiefs have issues all over their roster. For a team that has won three consecutive AFC Championship Games, it is hard to imagine anyone expected this team to be 6-7 and on the outside of the playoff picture looking in entering Week 15.
While there are still four weeks left to play, some of those necessary offseason changes are becoming more obvious. One of them will undoubtedly come along the offensive line, as the writing on the wall suggests that Hunter Nourzad will not be part of Kansas City's plans moving forward. This realization comes after comments from Andy Reid on Friday, via Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star, regarding Nourzad's lack of a spot in the starting lineup, as Mike Caliendo is in line to get the start instead.
Chiefs OL Hunter Nourzad Looks Out of the Picture In Kansas City
Nourzad joined the Chiefs as a fifth-round pick in the 2024 NFL draft. While mid-to-late round picks always need to prove their worth to secure a spot on the 53-man roster, he has seen his usage go down significantly from his rookie season to his second year in Kansas City.
After appearing in all 17 games for the Chiefs during the 2024 campaign, Nourzad has been limited to action in just seven of the team's 13 games thus far in 2025. When you take a closer look at Nourzad's snap counts between the two seasons, it only further drives home the fact that he is not going to be part of the long-term plans in Kansas City.
The former Penn State University standout saw 31 total snaps over 17 games as a rookie, which already shows he wasn't a key cog on offense or special teams. This season, Nourzad has played 23 total snaps over seven games. However, 16 of those snaps came in Week 7 alone, which paints the rest of the picture regarding his season in a different light.
In addition to the lack of usage, there has been the surprising decision to play veteran Caliendo over the second-year lineman. This comes even though Caliendo hasn't exactly fared well when on the field this season.
All this boils down to a lack of trust in Nourzad to get the job done and, ultimately, protect Patrick Mahomes in the pocket. If he cannot be trusted to do that, which is quite literally his job description, then there is no reason to waste a spot on the 53-man roster on him moving forward. Even if the savings against the salary cap will be nominal, that money can be used in better ways elsewhere, and the front office should make a point of that this offseason.