Former Chiefs second-round draft pick Kingsley Suamataia predicted to get the first shot to replace Joe Thuney at left guard
The Kansas City Chiefs have another hole on the offensive line after sending LG Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears in a trade, but it seems they already have someone in mind to replace him. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Yahoo's Nate Tice, discussing the future of the […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have another hole on the offensive line after sending LG Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears in a trade, but it seems they already have someone in mind to replace him.
NFL Insider Ian Rapoport responded to a post on X (formerly Twitter) from Yahoo's Nate Tice, discussing the future of the left guard position. He emphasized that he expects former Chiefs second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia to be given a shot to play left guard in place of Thuney.
He's not too far off, either. Based on what we've heard and seen from the team to end the 2024 NFL season, Suamataia seems to be the consensus offensive lineman to get the first shot at replacing Thuney among those in the know. Let me explain further. . .
Is Kingsley Suamataia the Chiefs' left guard of the future?
This has all been coming together at the guard position for some time now. Suamataia started the season off on the wrong foot, earning the starting left tackle job but then playing poorly enough to be replaced by Wanya Morris.
In December, Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck first suggested that Suamataia switch from tackle to guard. Suamataia played left guard in full during the Week 18 game against the Broncos, allowing one pressure on 24 pass-blocking snaps. This was the best single-game performance of his NFL career, even if it didn't result in much team success.
The Chiefs then decided to make Suamataia gameday active over Wanya Morris during the playoffs. The latest in-season sign was when Suamataia was spotted warming up on the sidelines amidst the thrashing from the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. He never entered the game, but the expectation was that he'd replace Mike Caliendo at the left guard spot had he entered the game.
Just days ago, during his annual private chat with local media members at the combine, Chiefs GM Brett Veach was asked about Suamataia's future at left tackle. He deflected by emphasizing that the team likes Suamataia's upside at the guard position.
As it turns out, Veach was probably thinking about Suamataia as the team's potential replacement for Thuney at left guard at that very moment. The big question is, will he be able to rise to the occasion this time? Hopefully, the Chiefs have a better Plan B in place should things go awry with Suamataia this time.
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