With starter Josh Simmons on the injured reserve with a hand injury, the Kansas City Chiefs entered the Week 14 loss to the Houston Texans with Wanya Morris at left tackle. Midway through the game, Morris sustained an injury of his own, forcing head coach Andy Reid to throw rookie Esa Pole into a much bigger role than expected.
The undrafted rookie out of Washington State was actually one of the few bright spots in the loss. He held his ground against the Texans' bruising defense and physical pass rush, and he could be in line to make his first career start in Week 15.
Coach Reid praised Pole for his strong performance. However, as pointed out by Chiefs insider Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, he thinks that he might be in for a rude awakening against the Los Angeles Chargers.
"It'd be good to see him again. If he's got to be in there. He showed some nice things. It's a challenge the second time because they have tape on him. You've got to go and detail your work," Reid said, per Goldman.
Andy Reid Warns Esa Pole Ahead of Potential First Start
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans clearly didn't have much intel on an undrafted rookie the Chiefs actually waived during their final roster cuts. They brought him back after a brief stint with the New York Jets, though, so they clearly believe he can be molded into a serviceable player.
According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Pole aced his first career test by giving up just one pressure against Texans star pass rusher Danielle Hunter. He's now the first offensive tackle to line up against Hunter for at least 20 pass-blocking snaps and allow one or fewer pressures. Notably, that pressure came on a broken play in which quarterback Patrick Mahomes held onto the ball for more than four seconds.
Of course, that's not to say that he's going to be as efficient against Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter's savvy unit. Just like with rookie quarterbacks who dominate in their first year and regress once the league has enough tape to evaluate their tendencies, the Chargers will dissect the tape to figure out how to beat the undrafted rookie.
The Chiefs have struggled with blindside protection for a while now, and with Simmons out for the next three games and right tackle Jawaan Taylor also out with an injury and struggling all year long, Pole needs to make the most of this opportunity to prove not only that he belongs in the league, but also that he might be a starting-caliber player for this team.