Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid discussed the team's 2025 schedule after OTAs on Thursday, May 29, 2025. By Emily Curiel
Kingsley Suamataia will enter his second NFL season in a different position in more ways than one.
He’s sliding over one spot on the offensive line from tackle to guard, and the shift should benefit Suamataia as he continues to develop in skill and confidence after a difficult rookie season.
The Chiefs’ second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Suamataia impressed enough in training camp to be named the team’s starting left tackle for the season opener.
But it was too much, too soon: Suamataia struggled against the league’s speedy pass rushers. He went to the bench before the end of the second game and played two or fewer snaps on offense in 12 of the Chiefs’ final 15 regular-season contests.
In reshaping the offensive line for 2025, the Chiefs have moved Suamataia inside, a switch that started toward the end of last season. In the finale at Denver, where the Chiefs sat most starters after clinching the AFC’s top seed and lost 38-0, Suamataia got 30 snaps at left guard.
“That was one of the positives,” said Chiefs coach Andy Reid, “the only positive that came out of that game. But I thought he did a nice job there so we’re moving him in there.”
The door hasn’t closed on the second-year pro moving back to tackle at some point, but the Chiefs and offensive line coach Andy Heck believe they now have a versatile lineman.
“I think he can do phenomenal in their at guard,” Heck said. “We’re still getting him a little bit of tackle work. I think he can play left tackle, right tackle in this league, either guard.
“He’s another guy that’s super explosive, very strong, and gives us a good, powerful presence inside, and I think he’s having fun with it.”
The Chiefs solidified their left tackle stock by signing Jaylon Moore to a two-year, $30 million contract, and taking Josh Simmons from Ohio State with their first-round draft selection this spring.
The left guard job became open when the Chiefs traded Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears. Thuney had moved to left tackle late in the regular season and for the playoffs, with Mike Caliendo stepping into Thuney’s spot.
Those maneuvers worked well enough as the Chiefs worked their way through the AFC playoffs. But the Philadelphia Eagles exposed KC’s makeshift offensive line in their Super Bowl rout.
Suamataia and Caliendo, entering his third season with 25 career regular-season games and seven playoff appearances on his resume, figured to take the left guard battle into training camp.
After his rough rookie season and in a new position, Suamataia should be in a better spot to make an impact as camp opens next month in St. Joseph, Missouri.
“What makes him well suited to play guard is his size and strength,” Heck said. “He’s just growing as a football player, whether that’s at guard or tackle, simply by being around that much longer, knowing defense that much better — just experiencing it.”