Chiefs coach might have just tipped which players are favorites for the final offensive line spots on the 53-man roster

Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck mentioned a few specific players who are competing for the final spots up for grabs on the offensive line.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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The roster competition continues for the Kansas City Chiefs in preseason Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks on Friday, Aug. 15.

With less than two weeks to go until 53-man roster cuts, every repetition matters. That’s especially true for those playing offensive line in Kansas City. The starting five seems to be all but set with LT Josh Simmons, LG Kingsley Suamataia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, and RT Jawaan Taylor. Andy Reid has already deemed Jaylon Moore and Mike Caliendo as extensions of the starting offensive line, which realistically leaves the Chiefs with 2-3 spots up for grabs. The competition for those final two spots will be as fierce as ever before, according to Chiefs O-Line Coach Andy Heck.

“Yeah, I think this is one of the best years we’ve had in terms of bringing in talent and creating competition across the board that’s just going to make the group better,” Heck said on Tuesday. “So when you talk about the eighth, ninth, and 10th spot, there’s a lot of competition going on, and there’s still a lot more to be done there in terms of evaluation; those preseason games are going to be huge. So, who’s operating and grading out? Basically, getting their guy blocked the most consistently. Who do we trust to put in there on a Sunday or Monday night?”

Explicitly asked about players like Wanya Morris, Esa Pole, Hunter Nourzad, and Chu Godrick, Heck said, “All of them have really been progressing nicely.” He did, however, elaborate on two specific players.

Hunter Nourzad is competing in the same bucket as Mike Caliendo

At one point, Chiefs HC Andy Reid indicated it was Mike Caliendo who would be in direct competition with Kingsley Suamataia for the starting left guard role. Based on the recent comments from Coach Heck, it seems that Caliendo is in more direct competition with second-year man Hunter Nourzad.

“You talk about a guy like Hunter (Nourzad), you know, he has been battling with Mike (Caliendo),” Heck said. “Last year, Mike played an important role for us. When you look back further than that of Nick Allegretti, who played a lot of ball for us, Andrew Wylie, who played a lot of ball for us, so Mike’s been able to do that. And really, Hunter has developed his game to where I think he can be right there with Mike Caliendo, center-guard flexing.”

Will the Chiefs keep two players with that guard-center flexibility? The more you can do, the better your chances of making the 53-man roster. That holds true for practically every position group. However, the team could opt for another player with guard-tackle flexibility instead.

Could this be the year that Chu Godrick makes the Chiefs’ 53-man roster?

This time a few years ago, Chu Godrick was playing in his first-ever game of organized football. Now, things are beginning to slow down for the Nigerian-born player who first joined the Chiefs through the NFL’s International Player Pathway program. Could this finally be the year that the team opts to carry him on the 53-man roster as opposed to an exempt spot on the practice squad?

“Then, Chu (Godrick), I’ve been really pleased with his progression here,” Heck told reporters. “You know, it takes time coming from a different country not really having played the game, but things are starting to click for Chu a little bit right now, so we’re giving them an opportunity to compete.”

Just like the rest of them, Godrick will have to make his mark on the gridiron this Friday in Seattle, and in the preseason finale at Arrowhead Stadium the following week.

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