Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have established a winning culture on the Kansas City Chiefs, but they’re far from done. This year, the duo wants to continue writing NFL history by chasing a third consecutive Super Bowl win.
The head coach and quarterback have been getting the support they needed from the front office, with Chiefs general manager Brett Veach making key additions throughout the 2024 NFL season.
Many of those moves included reuniting with familiar faces, but there are other players who are still waiting Veach’s call. One of them might be left tackle Donovan Smith, who’s been a free agent since winning Super Bowl LVIII with Reid and Mahomes in Kansas City.
The 31-year-old, who also won Super Bowl LV during an eight-year stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has once again made a cryptic social media post hinting at a potential interest in a return to Arrowhead.
Given the timing of Smith’s post on X (formerly known as Twitter), many consider this is a clear sign for the Chiefs to call him. This year, the team has suffered serious problems in the offensive line, especially at left tackle.
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Rookie Kingsley Suamataia entered the 2024 NFL season as starter, but a poor performance against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 immediately saw him lose the job. Reid replaced him with second-year tackle Wanya Morris, though his fate turned out to be similar.
With Mahomes under duress in Week 13, Reid benched Morris late in the game against the Las Vegas Raiders, moving Joe Thuney to left tackle, with Mike Caliendo taking over at left guard.
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Veteran tackle D.J. Humphries was in charge of protecting Mahomes’ blindside in Week 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers, but an injury forced Reid to send Morris to the field during the game.
Since Suamataia and Morris struggled big time this season, Humphries’ injury could make the Chiefs at least consider the idea of bringing Smith back. After all, we’re talking about Kansas City’s starting left tackle in its last Super Bowl win.
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Back in November, Smith also suggested that he’s available for the Chiefs with a cryptic post on X. While Reid avoided to reveal the chances of this reunion and said it depends on Veach, the coach suggested he’d welcome Smith with open arms.
“Listen, that’s in (Brett) Veach’s area. I mean, he looks at everything. So I’m not going to say no, but what we do as coaches, and we overemphasize, is we’re going to focus on these kids that are here,” Reid said. “They’re getting better. I know it’s hard to see at times, but there’s progress being made, and we’re going to be okay as we go forward.”
