Things continue to get worse for the Kansas City Chiefs. Not only has the loss to the Houston Texans put their playoff hopes in danger, but their offensive line has also sustained another blow, with left tackle Wanya Morris suffering a season-ending left knee injury, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Morris was filling in for starting left tackle Josh Simmons, who was placed on the injured reserve last week. Now, the Chiefs must return to the drawing board and figure out who’ll be their next starting left tackle. One potential option could be starting at left guard Kingsley Suamataia, who seems fine with the possibility of reverting back to his old position.
"If you're scared, get a dog." Suamataia said via Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest.
Chiefs Could Think About Putting Kingsley Suamataia at LT
Heading into their matchup against the Texans, the Chiefs were already dealing with numerous injuries to their offensive line. They were playing with three backup linemen as starters Jawaan Taylor, Trey Smith, and Simmons were all out dealing with injuries. It forced the Chiefs to plug in multiple different starting combinations the last few weeks.
With Morris out, the Chiefs could take Suamataia’s comments into serious consideration. Suamataia has been one of the few bright spots for the Chiefs this season. After a rough start, Suamataia has consistently excelled and has become a solid blocker, doing his part in protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
His 65.8 Pro Football Focus grade ranks 32nd out of 80 guards, whereas his 70.7 pass block grade ranks 16th. Suamataia is coming off arguably his best game, allowing just two pressures and recording a career-best 78.7 offensive grade.
Without a doubt, the 2024 second-round selection has been terrific this year. However, he cannot be considered for left tackle given how awful he was there last year.
Suamataia’s play at left tackle was so horrendous that the Chiefs had to end the experiment after two starts. Although he picked up another start at the position, it was evident that they could no longer afford to play him there. In those three games, Suamataia allowed 12 pressures, three sacks, and picked up three penalties.
While it’s great to hear that he has the utmost confidence in himself to move positions and still play at a high level, the Chiefs can’t make him switch positions again. Moving him back there could cause Suamataia to revert to his old ways and become a liability.
The Chiefs Must Look Elsewhere at LT
The Chiefs cannot afford to ruin Suamataia’s development by forcing him to play a few games at tackle. It’s already bad enough that they’ve had to constantly change the offensive line, and it would be pointless to move him, considering how great he’s been as a guard.
Suamataia has displayed flashes of potentially becoming the team’s staple at left guard for the foreseeable future, so why should they risk it? If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
That’s why the Chiefs should instead turn to backup Esa Pole at left tackle until further notice. Pole, who replaced Morris when he went down, has earned an opportunity after a solid performance against the Texans, allowing just three pressures in 42 pass block snaps.
Although he’s a rookie and was just activated to the active roster this past week, the Chiefs have very few choices outside of him. Their only other option would be Moore, but that’s if Taylor is ready to return.
Regardless, they cannot risk one of the few good things they have going and must keep Suamataia at left guard.