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Chiefs HC Andy Reid is cautiously optimistic about LG Kingsley Suamataia entering the season.

With another season on the horizon, the Kansas City Chiefs are leaning on a new configuration along their offensive line. Both pieces on the left side — left tackle and left guard — will be different from 2024-25’s openers.

One of those players is still a familiar face, though. After struggling immensely at left tackle to start last season, Kingsley Suamataia is now a guard by trade. It’s a shift Kansas City made a concerted effort to manifest within the last nine or 10 months.

It’s a bold strategy, especially with All-Pro Joe Thuney no longer in town. Not only that, but Suamataia is starting alongside a rookie in first-rounder Josh Simmons. The presence of center Creed Humphrey can only protect him so much.

Andy Reid Optimistic About Kingsley Suamataia Entering Week 1

That creates a high-stakes environment for the Chiefs. There’s a world where a second consecutive season is derailed by poor offensive line play. Head coach Andy Reid isn’t banking on it, however.

Speaking to the media ahead of Week 1, Reid tipped his cap to Suamataia for putting himself in a good position to succeed.

“Yeah, I know Kingsley has worked very hard this offseason,” Reid said. “He feels comfortable in there at that spot, but I’ll tell you it’s new and there’s going to be things in there. He seems to be working well with Creed and Josh, but again, this is a good defense. One of the top defenses in the league last year, and now they’ve got to step into that and play good football. That’s what we’re going to practice each week here, and hopefully the continuity continues to grow there with the three of them.”

Reid and Suamataia have both made it clear that all of this is new to him. Heck, even tackle in the NFL was new given the lack of true pass sets he took in college at BYU. The 22-year-old remains a work in progress, which was made glaringly obvious a season ago.

After just two starts, Kansas City pulled the plug on the Suamataia-at-left-tackle experiment. He made a Week 18 cameo at guard, looking more competent but still not totally ready for extended action.

This preseason yielded mixed results. Per Pro Football Focus, Suamataia posted a strong 66.1 run blocking grade but allowed 3 pressures in just 26 opportunities. For better or worse, he’s the Chiefs’ guy.

Reid is aiming for the former.

Reid Doubles Down on Josh Simmons Praise Ahead of Rookie Season

September 5’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers isn’t just about Suamataia. Hands-down the bright and shiny new toy is Simmons, Kansas City’s top draft pick. The rookie has done nothing but succeed since getting drafted, thriving in the offseason program. He then strung together a terrific preseason slate.

The hype for Simmons is real. Reid isn’t backing down from it, even contributing some bits himself. He doubled down on the praise heading into the regular season.

“I think we just let him go, get him out here, let him get this experience going forward,” Reid said. “This group’s got two good defensive ends, so it’ll be a nice challenge for him. And I’ll probably be saying that every week through the season here, but it’s his first year, so there are going to be things that he hasn’t seen before and he’s got to fight through that.

“But he’s a talented kid and he’s willing. He wants to do well. He’s worked very hard to get himself into this position right here to be the starter. I told you after training camp, my hat goes off to the kid. He didn’t miss a day, from the time he started in the OTAs [and] throughout this camp where he’s tried to bear down. There’ll be some things in there, some hiccups in there, I’m sure, but he sure is willing to play.”

It’s a new era for the Chiefs, yet the same old pieces like quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce lead the way. If things go as planned this season, someone like Suamataia or Simmons can have his name thrown into that bucket as well.

Jordan Foote is a seasoned sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com with an emphasis on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. He has years of experience publishing NFL and MLB content for Sports Illustrated’s On SI vertical, in addition to a background in NBA coverage for multiple outlets. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media. He’s based in Kansas City. More about Jordan Foote