After the Kansas City Chiefs' 2024 season was defined by the implosion of the offensive line in the Super Bowl loss, the franchise made a number of changes. Center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith were the only positions that remained reliable. Drafting left tackle Josh Simmons and moving Kingsley Suamataia to the inside, giving the franchise two new starters. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor has remained despite adding Jaylon Moore in a notable offseason deal.
All of this adds up to a new group that has struggled yet again and forced Mahomes to attempt to put on his cape each of the first two weeks of the season. Understandably, this has led to extreme fan frustration and the thought that it is more of what we watched a season ago. However, this simply isn't fair for a unit that still has plenty of time to get it together for when the games matter most.
Chiefs' Ugly Offensive Line Performance Shouldn't Discourage Fans After Small Sample Size
Simmons is incredibly poised for a rookie and is going to be a franchise player for many seasons to come. Leading to pointing out that both Smith and Humphrey are among the best at their respective positions. This leaves the frustrating Taylor as the biggest remaining question mark. One that the team can easily move away from with Moore currently on the bench.
There simply is too much road ahead for fans to panic over two rough weeks. Kansas City has far too much love for Mahomes to allow this to continue. Just as the team patched the line after its last Super Bowl loss and went on another run, this should still be the expectation even after the last two weeks.
An important note here is the fact that neither running back has been able to get rolling, making it clear on any meaningful down, Mahomes is going to be dropping back in the pocket. This has made the new line's attempts to gel and provide a level of consistency all the more elusive. With this in mind, fans shouldn't yet be panicking either over the record or the lack of consistency in the trenches.
Having three reliable starters is simply too much of a building block for a savvy front office to mess up. Kansas City GM Brett Veach has given the Chiefs all the needed pieces, with Moore being a consistent option on the outside and Mike Caliendo being an option to replace Kingsley if the guard doesn't continue to develop after moving to the inside.
All of this adds up to the Chiefs' focus needing to remain on developing a run game and exercising patience with a group that simply needs more time to get on the same page and develop. If this were Week 16, the urgency level should be much higher, but for now, Kansas City fans shouldn't be concerned with a line that will continue to improve as the season continues.