Kansas City Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia breaks silence on his position switch, revealing an unlikely source of confidence
With Organized Team Activities (OTAs) practically in the rearview, Kansas City Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia has one goal heading into the 2025 NFL season. "Just coming in and improving from last year," he told reporters after practice on Thursday. "Just improving on the little things, like the plays, getting the steps down and, yeah."2024 didn't go […]
With Organized Team Activities (OTAs) practically in the rearview, Kansas City Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia has one goal heading into the 2025 NFL season.
"Just coming in and improving from last year," he told reporters after practice on Thursday. "Just improving on the little things, like the plays, getting the steps down and, yeah."
2024 didn't go as planned for the second-round draft pick out of BYU. After earning the first crack at the starting left tackle spot for the Chiefs during the offseason, Suamataia was benched just two games into the season.
As he starts a new journey in the 2025 NFL season, Suamataia is learning a new position. He is competing with Mike Caliendo for the left guard job, being aggressive off the get-go, and ensuring he has all the tools to succeed where he faltered a season ago.
"It's going great," Suamataia said. "You know, it's a new learning step for me and a learning curve for me, just to better myself, and I just think the more positions I can learn how to play, the better, more valuable I am. So, it's going good."
Reflecting on last season, Suamataia didn't sulk, choosing to speak about the good of taking a step back.
"That's just how the league goes and, you know, one guy goes down, the next guy (has) to come in and put his best foot forward," Suamataia said. "That (allowed me) to (take) my time as a player, just to put my head down and keep working until I got put in at guard later on in the season, and, you know, fell in love with it."
Even though he saw the field sparingly in 2024, Suamataia was always ready if his number was called. He leaned on the guidance of his teammates and coaches, an approach that has led him back to the circle of trust in his new role at guard.
"Yeah, it's a big trust component," Suamataia said. "And just being thrown in out there at guard, a new position, but gotta put my best foot forward every day. You know, I'm blocking for the best player in the NFL behind me. So, I take a lot of pride in that, moving into a guard with a new opportunity."
For Suamataia, playing guard represents a new opportunity, a fresh start, and a fresh perspective on playing offensive line. He knows he's building value by learning the guard position alongside his tackle experience.
"Yeah, just like a nice little restart," Suamataia said. "You know, I've got a new position. It's like year one all over again, but playing a new position."
How Broncos DL Zach Allen became an unlikely source of confidence for Chiefs' Kingsley Suamataia
In Week 18 against the Denver Broncos, Kingsley Suamataia earned his first start at the left guard position. The game was a complete disaster, but not by any fault of Suamataia's play. Chiefs HC Andy Reid considered Suamataia's performance one of the few bright spots during that game. He wasn't the only one who felt that way, either.
When asked about his performance during that game, Suamataia revealed that one of his opponents praised his play.
"Yeah, I did good going against one of the best D tackles," Suamataia said. "And, you know, I got some good words from him after the game. So definitely stuff to take in and just to improve on."
The player to praise Suamataia was Broncos All-Pro DT Zach Allen.
"He just said, you know, for playing guard my first time, he said I did pretty good," Suamataia said of the interaction.
It might seem like a small thing, but those words from Allen have proven to be a source of confidence for Suamataia. It validates the belief of those around him that Suamataia can be a starting left guard in the NFL.
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