A Hopeful Pivot for Chiefs at Left Guard?
When you’re building a roster with Patrick Mahomes on it, your priority should be properly building up and maintaining the trenches. That is clearly the mindset of the Chiefs' front office, as they have made sweeping changes and updates across the offensive line this offseason. For those positions that already have elite talent, such as Creed Humphrey at center and Trey Smith at right guard, the Chiefs handed out hefty extensions. For the spots on the O-line that were questionable, the Chiefs spared no expense and left no stone unturned, hunting for upgrades in both free agency and the draft.
Left tackle was a major sore spot for Kansas City last year. Four different players started in the LT position in 2024, none of whom found any kind of permanent footing that would project them as starters going into the 2025 season. It was the hope that rookie Kingsley Suamataia would be the Chiefs' long-term starter at left tackle at the beginning of last year, but his shaky performances put serious doubts on whether he could hang at the single most important position on the offensive line. The Chiefs entered this offseason with two questions in mind: What do we do to fix the LT situation, and what do we do with Kingsley Suamataia?
If the first week of training camp this year is any indication, both of those questions have been decisively answered. In what may be looked on in the future as the steal of the 2025 draft, the Chiefs selected Ohio State tackle Josh Simmons late in the first round. His performances against elite talent in training camp have been solid, even dominant. The Chiefs had also brought in free agent Jaylon Moore to potentially plug the hole at LT, but with Simmons very quickly turning heads, it seems certain that the rookie will be the starter heading into the first game of the season, with Moore acting as valuable depth behind him.
Meanwhile, it seems that Suamataia’s future is right next to where his past was… literally. With the departure of Joe Thuney, the best left guard in football today, there is a massive vacuum at the position. The Chiefs have responded to this sizable vacancy by shifting Suamataia down the line, from his old spot at tackle down to guard. A big criticism of Suamataia’s play last season was that he lacked the agility and speed to set the edge against speedy edge rushers. At guard, that kind of lateral quickness just isn’t as necessary, giving the young lineman a chance to cover for his biggest weakness. If Simmons is truly ready to start at LT from day one, and Suamataia finds new life at the left guard position, the Chiefs' offensive line will possess the three most valuable traits imaginable: youth, hunger, and proficiency.
