Chiefs reveal starting offensive line for Week 14 vs. Texans during pregame warmups — and the decision made could doom them
Wanya Morris gets his first start at left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs since his disastrous 2024 NFL season.
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid kept things coy leading up to kickoff about his plans for the offensive line with injuries to starting LT Josh Simmons, starting RG Trey Smith, and starting RT Jawaan Taylor.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid initially indicated that it’d likely be Wanya Morris at left tackle and Jaylon Moore at right tackle for Week 14 vs. the Texans. Coach Reid ultimately changed his tune on Friday, telling reporters that the pair practiced at both positions during the practice week.
“Yeah, they’ve (Jaylon Moore and Wanya Morris) actually worked both sides, so we’ll just make that decision when we get there,” Reid said.
What option did they decide on with a vaunted Texans edge-rushing duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter to contend with?
Chiefs go with Wanya Morris at left tackle for Week 14
Despite Coach Reid suggesting they might go with something entirely different, multiple reports from pregame warmups indicate they’re going with Wanya Morris at left tackle. It’s a decision that could very well doom the team based on Morris’ past performances. It’s hard to forget the Raiders game in 2024, during which Patrick Mahomes became visibly upset with Morris’ play at left tackle, and he was benched, with Joe Thuney kicking out to left tackle. He didn’t start another game for Kansas City until a meaningless Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos.
Jaylon Moore was signed in the offseason with the thought that he could be a starter at the left tackle position, but Josh Simmons stopped that from happening. He did play left tackle when Simmons was out for personal reasons, but the fact that Jawaan Taylor is also out seemingly complicates things. Moore will play right tackle on Sunday night.
My best guess for why the Chiefs are going with Moore at right tackle instead of left is that he’s got built-in chemistry with RG Mike Caliendo, his former college teammate at Western Michigan. Ultimately, Matt Nagy says it all comes down to what the coaches and players collectively decide is best in a given week.
Chiefs’ offensive line depth for Week 14 vs. Texans
- LT Wanya Morris
- LG Kingsley Suamataia
- C Creed Humphrey
- RG Mike Caliendo
- RT Jaylon Moore
- OT Esa Pole
- OL Hunter Nourzad
- OL C.J. Hanson
With eight offensive linemen active for the game, the Chiefs aren’t allowed to dress an extra offensive lineman in Week 14 vs. the Texans. Had they gone with seven active offensive linemen, they would’ve been able to dress an additional player from the practice squad (likely Chu Godrick), despite the 47-man game-day active limit. If there’s another offensive tackle injury, expect Esa Pole to play the swing tackle role. Kingsley Suamataia is probably an emergency option at tackle, as is Hunter Nourzad, who played offensive tackle at Cornell in college.
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