Now that the NFL Draft is behind us, the Kansas City Chiefs have filled their 90-man roster. But have they filled all the roster holes that needed attention after the 2024 season?
On Thursday, an ESPN article by Aaron Schatz listed what he considered to be the biggest roster hole remaining for every NFL team. Schatz thinks Kansas City still needs someone to take Joe Thuney’s spot.
ESPN’s choice: Left guard
The Chiefs have strong starters everywhere, as you’d expect from a team that has been to three consecutive Super Bowls. The biggest question is whether second-year man Kingsley Suamataia can be successful at left guard after struggling at left tackle last season. If Suamataia fails there, it falls to Mike Caliendo, who performed admirably during last season’s playoff run after Joe Thuney was moved to tackle.
My take
Schatz is right about one thing and wrong about another. It’s true: we don’t know whether Suamataia can step into the role that Thuney filled so well. But it’s hard to find support for his statement that Caliendo’s playoff performance was “admirable.”
The team liked Suamataia’s performance when he started at left guard against the Denver Broncos in last season’s final regular-season game. That’s why he is now considered the leading candidate to start there in 2025. But there’s still a real question about whether he can hold down the job for a full season.
While the Chiefs also gave Caliendo credit for what he did at left guard when they were forced to move Thuney to left tackle, his Pro Football Focus grades in the team’s three playoff games were poor: 36.7 in pass blocking and 51.6 in run blocking.
So while Kansas City has done a good job filling their roster holes this offseason, Schatz is right: left guard is where the Chiefs have the biggest personnel deficit. But it’s also true that the team could have other options at the position. If newly-drafted tackle Josh Simmons is healthy enough to play on the outside, the team could use Jaylon Moore on the inside, and second-year interior lineman Hunter Nourzad might be able to step in, too.
