Chiefs HC Andy Reid confirms suspicion about starting left tackle job after Week 3 win vs. Falcons
The Kansas City Chiefs had a new starting left tackle for the Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons. After starting the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, rookie LT Kingsley Suamataia went to the bench on Sunday night. Starting in his place against the Falcons was second-year O-Lineman Wanya Morris, who previously started X […]
The Kansas City Chiefs had a new starting left tackle for the Week 3 win over the Atlanta Falcons.
After starting the first two weeks of the 2024 NFL season, rookie LT Kingsley Suamataia went to the bench on Sunday night. Starting in his place against the Falcons was second-year O-Lineman Wanya Morris, who previously started X games as a rookie in 2023 in place of the injured Donovan Smith. In his career before Sunday, Morris has allowed 24 pressures and two sacks across over 240 pass-blocking snaps. His ability to protect Patrick Mahomes was showcased against the Falcons, with just two pressures allowed on 44 pass-blocking snaps per Pro Football Focus.
During the "Sunday Night Football" broadcast, NBC's Cris Collinsworh even went so far as to suggest that Morris would have been starting had he not been injured in training camp and the preseason. While Andy Reid's comments on Monday didn't go so far as to indicate this had always been the plan, he confirmed that Morris is the plan moving forward.
"Listen, I thought Wanya (Morris) did some good things in there, so we'll probably stick with that same thing you saw, where Kingsley (Suamataia) rotated in and played some tight end," Reid said. "So he was able to get some good reps in there. And then again, Wanya had good reps at the left tackle spot.
"So, do they both have stuff to work on? Yes. So we'll keep their young guys, you know, their young guys in a tough position with a tough go here, and they've got another good one coming, you know, coming here this week. So, what they've got to prep for a couple good ones. So we've got to make sure we keep growing. But they're surely getting tested early."
Andy Reid had suggested last week that both players would get opportunities to play in Week 3, but he neglected to mention that only one would be playing left tackle. Suamataia did get some work as an extra blocker, which can help build some good habits in the run game. It's clear, however, that the starting left tackle job is Morris' to lose moving forward as Suamataia continues to learn and grow.
It's but a momentary setback for the promising young rookie, but one that should help the Chiefs stabilize their offensive line in the coming weeks as the team faces tougher opponents. Lucky for Morris, he didn't have to face one of the league's best edge rushers as Suamataia did in Trey Hendrickson. He'll have some combination of Joey Bosa, Tuli Tuipulotu, and Khalil Mack to deal with next week against the Los Angeles Chargers.
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Kansas City Chiefs WR Rashee Rice is riding with Patrick Mahomes on this one.
