Kansas City Chiefs OL coach Andy Heck is standing his ground on how 2024 second-round draft pick Kingsley Suamataia was handled as a rookie.

Suamataia, who showed up in a big way at training camp and in the preseason as a rookie, was named the team’s starting left tackle for Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season. By Week 3 of the season, Suamataia would be benched for Wanya Morris due to struggles with assignments against the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals in the first two weeks.

If he had a do-over with Suamataia, would Heck do anything differently? The answer might surprise some fans in Chiefs Kingdom.

“I think we were hopeful that he’d jump in there and take that thing and run with it, knowing that there’d be some growing pains,” Heck told reporters after OTAs on Wednesday. “Like we’ve done with some other players in the past, whether it was Laurent Duvernay-Tardif or someone else, we said, ‘Hey, rather than, you know, wrecking a guy’s confidence here, he might need to just take a step back.’ And so, Coach (Andy Reid) made the decision, ‘Hey, let’s take a step back and still let him learn and grow and be ready to go.’ And we had to plug him in there a few times. So I don’t think I would change how we did that.”

If the Chiefs could change the results of that situation, they certainly would, but the process by which they decided to start Suamataia, and then dialed him back from a starting role, was sound. Heck even cited a specific example when that exact process worked in the team’s favor.

Dr. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, a former sixth-round draft pick, started his first three games at right guard for the Chiefs in 2015, his second season in the NFL. His first game against the Houston Texans went well, but Duvernay-Tardif surrendered three sacks of then-starting QB Alex Smith in the following two games. After the third game, the Chiefs opted to sit Duvernay-Tardif. He didn’t play again until Week 7 and would go on to start the final 10 games of the regular season and the team’s wild-card playoff game. He’d ultimately start 54 games at right guard in Kansas City through the 2019 NFL season.

It remains to be seen if Suamataia can follow a similar development track, taking the games he sat for in stride and using them as an opportunity to improve. What’s clear is that Heck believes he can follow that same path and be a success story for Kansas City. We got a glimpse of the potential in Week 18 against the Denver Broncos, but will Suamataia be able to build on it?

What does the future look like for Chiefs OL Kingsley Suamataia?

Heck first noted that Suamataia was cross-training at guard in December, weeks before starting his first left guard game against the Denver Broncos in Week 18. Chiefs HC Andy Reid has since noted that Suamataia’s performance at left guard in that game was the lone bright spot in a miserable loss.

We know the Chiefs’ plan for Suamataia is for him to compete at left guard with Mike Caliendo for a starting job. Asked about his progress at the guard spot, Heck confirmed that Suamataia is transitioning well, while still getting some cross-training at tackle.

“Very well,” Heck said. “I mean, Kingsley (Suamataia) is a guy who has great versatility. I think he can be phenomenal at guard. 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 spot. You know, he’s another guy who’s super explosive and very strong. He can give us a good, powerful presence inside. And I think he’s having fun with it.”

When asked about the traits that make Suamataia a fit for the guard position, Heck revealed exactly what they’re looking for in Joe Thuney’s absence. He also endorsed Suamataia as a growing football player.

“I think what makes him well-suited to play guard is his size and strength,” Heck said. “You know, you really like some guys who can move people in there at that spot. I think, if you can do that, or firm up the pocket. We tell our guys we want him to firm that pocket at three yards, so his strength. Then, he’s just growing as a football player, whether it’s at guard or at tackle, simply by being around that much longer, gaining experience, knowing our language that much better, knowing defense that much better, just experience.”

While starting at left tackle is probably out of the question for Suamataia outside of a last resort, it’s clear that there are several potential tracks for him to earn playing time in Kansas City. The ideal situation would be for him to leave no shred of doubt as the team’s starting left guard, but there’s a world where right guard and right tackle could also be a part of his future. Heck isn’t ruling anything out as the 22-year-old continues to develop.