Chiefs' left guard options on the 90-man roster after Joe Thuney trade include former draft picks and an undrafted dark horse
The Kansas City Chiefs are officially on the hunt for a new starting left guard for the 2025 NFL season after agreeing to trade LG Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears. Replacing an All-Pro who was your team's best offensive lineman at two different positions last season isn't going to be an easy task for Brett Veach. […]
The Kansas City Chiefs are officially on the hunt for a new starting left guard for the 2025 NFL season after agreeing to trade LG Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears.
Replacing an All-Pro who was your team's best offensive lineman at two different positions last season isn't going to be an easy task for Brett Veach. Is the solution to the newfound left guard vacancy already on the 2025 90-man offseason roster?
The Chiefs currently have quite a few players who can play on the interior offensive line under contract, including three 2024 NFL draft picks and one 2023 NFL draft pick. They also have a dark horse candidate who joined the team as an undrafted free agent just last season.
Here's an overview of the various options on the roster and how they currently compare. . .
Favorite: Kingsley Suamataia
We've already let you know that Suamataia is viewed as the favorite to replace Thuney as the Chiefs' starting left guard in 2025. The Chiefs didn't necessarily give up on the idea of him playing the left tackle position so much as they found themselves impressed with what Suamataia was able to show at the left guard position in Week 18. See the snaps for yourself, courtesy of KSHB-TV producer extraordinaire Nick Jacobs via NFL Pro.
Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck mentioned Suamataia was getting some work at guard in December. Those practice repetitions clearly translated in a way that got the coaching staff comfortable, to the point that he was a key backup for Kansas City during the playoffs. Rest assured, the Chiefs will give Suamataia every chance to earn the left guard job in 2025. If someone else steps up and proves they're a better option, it's all gravy for Kansas City.
Close second: Hunter Nourzad
Chiefs fans shouldn't forget Nourzad, who arguably had the most impressive day of any K.C. offensive lineman during that Week 18 start against the Denver Broncos. He allowed no pressures during 25 pass-blocking snaps in that game, all from the center position, and he really made up for some deficiencies at some other spots as well. While Nourzad is probably best suited for a reserve role, backing up Creed Humphrey at the center position, I won't be shocked to see him get the opportunity to compete at the left guard spot in 2025. During his collegiate career at Penn State and Cornell, the 6-foot-3 and 315-pound Nourzad started games at all five positions along the offensive line.
Potential competitor: Wanya Morris
During Day 11 of Chiefs training camp practice in 2024, Andy Reid surprised the Chiefs Kingdom with a lineup that featured Kingsley Suamataia at left tackle and Morris at left guard. Some took that as a sign that Suamataia might have won the left tackle job (he did, kind of), but Reid indicated it was more about giving Morris some snaps at guard for the coaching staff to evaluate.
"It gives us a chance to let Wanya (Morris) work a little guard," Reid said. "And you know, Andy (Heck) moves those guys around. Wanya got a shot at it today and it's not a permanent thing. That's not what it is. It's just a shot to get in there and for us to see what we have."
This was the same practice session where Morris hurt his knee, which paved the way for Suamataia to become the starter at left tackle to start the season. From what I can recall, Morris looked fine at left guard in his limited snaps.
Developmental surprise: C.J. Hanson
To this point, Chiefs seventh-round draft pick out of Holy Cross, C.J. Hanson, hasn't proven to be more than a project. But that doesn't mean he's incapable of proving otherwise during the 2025 NFL season, but it's safe to call it a surprise. In his lone start of 2024, against the Denver Broncos in Week 18, Hanson allowed one sack and three additional pressures, according to PFF. His overall pass-blocking grade in that game? 1.6. I didn't leave out a number or misplace the decimal, you read it right.
Dark horse: McKade Mettauer
Mettauer was one of the team's 17 undrafted free-agent signings ahead of the team's rookie minicamp. The former Oklahoma Sooner missed the entire 2024 NFL season after suffering a knee injury in the preseason Week 1 that landed him on injured reserve during training camp. He was waived-injured, which typically leads to an injury settlement, but the team never settled, and he remained on injured reserve all year. That's typically a sign that a team likes a player and wants to keep them around.
"McKade (Mettauer) had a tear in the MCL, it wasn't the ACL, so that's a positive," Reid said. "No surgery required. He'll just see how he does here in the next few days, how that thing works out. It might be longer than that, but we'll see."
The Chiefs virtually gave Mettauer a redshirt year on injured reserve while he recovered from his MCL injury. He's on a standard UDFA contract, which means he's under team control through the 2026 NFL season. All signs indicate him being ready to compete for a job when everyone returns to action in May. He stood out at the guard position in 2024, mostly playing with the second-team offense during training camp. He played nine pass-blocking snaps at left guard before suffering his knee injury, allowing one sack.
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