Chiefs reveal Week 12 injury status of LG Kingsley Suamataia vs Colts.
Getty Kansas City Chiefs left guard Kingsley Suamataia.
Nobody outside of the Kansas City Chiefs organization really knows or understands why offensive guard Kingsley Suamataia found himself benched on multiple occasions this year, mainly because head coach Andy Reid has neglected to say.
Suamataia did not get the nod in the starting lineup against the Denver Broncos last weekend, a game that the Chiefs narrowly lost. Reid said earlier this week he did not make the decision for disciplinary reasons but refused to elaborate further, saying the matter was between the two men.
Reid later indicated that there is a reasonable chance Suamataia returns to the starting lineup this Sunday against the New York Jets. But even if he does, there is clearly something going on with the third-year lineman in Kansas City and now might be a reasonable time for the team to pull the rip cord.
That was part of the reasoning behind a trade proposal from ESPN’s Field Yates on Saturday, November 7, in which he suggested the Chiefs flip Suamataia to the Green Bay Packers in return for a fourth-round draft pick.
Packers in Need of Offensive Guard, Chiefs Can Capitalize While Also Solving Kingsley Suamataia Issue
Chiefs HC Andy Reid
GettyKansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
Green Bay has battled injury concerns on the interior of the offensive line all season long and remain the worst rushing offense in the NFL, an unfortunate moniker to hold, and one the Packers have carried since the end of Week 1.
Given that fact, and that the Packers are still somehow 5-3 with the return of superstar edge-rusher Micah Parsons looming, they are strong candidates to make moves on both the O-line and at running back.
“After starting all of last season for the Chiefs, Suamataia has been benched twice this season despite backup options yielding less than optimal results in his stead,” Yates wrote. “However, he could still be a valuable asset to another team given he’s just 23, has positional versatility and is under contract through next season. The Packers must continue to hurl resources at an offensive line that has battled injuries and ineffectiveness through eight weeks, so giving up a fourth-round pick is worth it.”
Kingsley Suamataia, Chiefs May Both Benefit From Trade, Fresh Start
Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid revealed a new wrinkle on offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia's benching.
GettyOffensive guard Kingsley Suamataia of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Suamataia, a second-round draft pick out of BYU in 2024, has another year remaining on his inexpensive rookie contract after this season, which should also drive his trade yield up.
He was a reserve during his first campaign, playing in 15 games but starting only two of those. Suamataia started all 17 contests last year and has started in five of the six games he has played in 2026.
Moving Suamataia does not make the Chiefs’ offensive line better on paper, but Reid has clearly felt it was the appropriate decision on multiple occasions already this year. And the Chiefs head coach has more information than anyone else but is choosing not to share it with the public, so it is hard to argue with any of Yates’ logic.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group's family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible