As Week 11 came into view, the Kansas City Chiefs were glad to get the band back together along the offensive line for the first time in several weeks. Unfortunately, their ability to keep their starting five linemen up front lasted just over one half of football against the Denver Broncos, with Kingsley Suamataia on the sideline.
The Chiefs watched Suamataia, their starting left guard, leave the game [to enter the concussion protocol](https://x.com/Chiefs/status/1990199043222536215) in the third quarter against the Broncos.
In place of Suamataia, the Chiefs brought in Mike Caliendo, who has been the obvious substitute for any interior position so far this season. Caliendo was a starter at left guard in the postseason last year after the Chiefs decided to shift Joe Thuney out to tackle for the duration of the year after dealing with myriad injuries up front.
The Chiefs are having a hard time keeping their starting offensive line on the field together for any length of time.
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Caliedo has already replaced Trey Smith in the lineup at right guard as Smith dealt with back spasms during the season's first half. Now he's taking over on the left side in an all-important divisional contest against the Broncos, who hold a two-game edge in the division with seven games remaining.
Suamataia has been one of the most heartening developments on the entire roster this season for the Chiefs. Kansas City took a big risk this offseason by trading away Thuney and replacing him with Suamataia, a former left tackle turned interior lineman who was the team's second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. When he didn't work out as a bookend, the Chiefs decided to give him the first chance to replace an All-Pro and the results have been solid. That Suamataia hasn't been a storyline is in itself a success story.
Caliendo came to the Chiefs as a former undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan in 2022 and is in the final year of his rookie deal. If something happens along the interior at this point, the next man up would be Hunter Nourzad, a former fifth-round choice out of Penn State who has yet to make his mark in a game given Caliendo's presence.
The Chiefs just got left tackle Josh Simmons back on the field after more than a month away dealing with a personal issue. The first-round rookie has looked good in his first game back. Right tackle Jawaan Taylor also sat out the end of the Week 9 loss to the Buffalo Bills with an ankle injury before the bye, but he's also been able to play. However, without Suamataia, the Chiefs are still short-handed up front.