The Kansas City Chiefs might be 11-1 in the 2024 NFL season, but Andy Reid knows that there are things to fix. Especially at left tackle, an area that has brought problems to Patrick Mahomes.
The Chiefs entered the season with Kingsley Suamataia as their starting LT, but the rookie lost the job early in the year after being outplayed by Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson in Week 2.
Second-year tackle Wanya Morris has been the starter since Week 3, but a poor performance against the Las Vegas Raiders on Friday forced Reid to shake things up as Mahomes was under duress. Late in the game, the Chiefs head coach made a series of changes by moving Joe Thuney to left tackle, with Mike Caliendo stepping in at left guard.
Speaking to the media via Zoom on Monday, Reid admitted that he’d prefer not having to move Thuney as he likes the way he plays at left guard. Therefore, it remains unclear whether this change will become permanent for the Chiefs’ next game.
Head coach Andy Reid of the Kansas City Chiefs reacts during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Well, that’s another one of the options that we’ve got,” Reid said. “We finished the game that way. I’d rather have Joe playing in at guard because he’s very good there, but Caliendo isn’t bad either, so that’s a good problem to have, but we’ve got some flexibility there as needed.”
see also
NFL News: Chiefs HC Andy Reid once again makes something clear to Travis Kelce about lateral passes
Reid not sure D.J. Humphries will protect Mahomes’ blindside on SNF
With Morris getting benched after a tough day at Arrowhead, many wonder whether the Chiefs will start a different name at LT in Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season.
Kansas City has recently signed veteran tackle D.J. Humphries, an experienced player who can immediately provide security at Mahomes’ blindside. But Reid isn’t sure whether he’ll be ready on Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.
see also
NFL News: Andy Reid makes something clear about Isiah Pacheco's first game with Chiefs since injury
“We’ll work him in and see how he feels,” Reid said. “That’s the main thing. He hadn’t played in a while, so I just want to make sure he’s in good position. He did a nice job last week working in there, and we’ll do a little bit more with him this week.
“Last week was a short week, so we didn’t have a whole lot of time for the fast part of the game, practices, and so this week I’ll have a better idea as we go, and he’ll have a better idea how he feels, then we just go from there. We’ll just see how it all works out.”
