How serious are the Chiefs’ recent left tackle developments?
Andy Reid recognizes that KC’s present procedures lack one critical component.
As the Kansas City Chiefs completed their third full-team session of training camp, an intriguing event occurred in the midst of the Chiefs’ most crucial camp battle. But does it matter?
The attention is on the Chiefs’ left tackle position, where second-year third-round pick Wanya Morris hopes to beat rookie second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia for the right to cover Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. During the first two days of practice, the pair shared snaps with the first-team offensive line. On Tuesday, Morris took first-team reps while Suamataia took second-team reps. How significant is that growth in the early stages of camp?
After practice, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid spoke with the media about the offensive line and Kansas City’s left tackle struggle. Reid stated early in his press conference that offensive line coach Andy Heck dictates the O-line rotations as the team searches for “the five best” lineman on the roster, particularly before pads are worn at camp.
At this point, it’s worth noting that Morris received the first chance at a full day of first-team practice (again, before the squad puts on pads for the first time on Friday), but Suamataia might get the first-team treatment on Wednesday, which would not be a surprise.
Still, working off limited snaps and even more limited physicality, Reid was asked how he thought Morris had performed in camp so far.
“Yeah, he’s doing a nice job,” Reid added. “Everything is kind of pass, you’re not doing a ton of run in here, but for what we’re asking him to do, he’s doing a nice job.”
Regarding the left tackle competition, Reid was asked whether he has a certain schedule in mind for when the Chiefs would like to have their starting locked down.
“We’ll just see how it goes,” Reid said. “You obviously want to get the guy’s reps in there and all that, but you also want to make sure you get the best guy in there and so you give them a chance to play with one another, as far as the guards and the tackles go, and see what the best match is there and how they fit together.”
Reid later stated that it is tough to analyze line battles until teams can fully drill the running game, which will not be possible until Friday’s first padded practice.
“Once you mix the pass and the run in, that’s what you’ve got to get going here, and the run is all curbed down to where it’s almost just fits, so it’s not quite the same,” Reid pointed out.
