Chiefs HC Andy Reid Remains Silent on Kingsley Suamataia’s Second Benching in Four Games

The Kansas City Chiefs' downward spiral continued on Sunday evening with a heartbreaking 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos. Even after leading by double digits halfway through the final quarter, Andy Reid's squad let the game slip away and squandered its grip on the AFC West lead.

Amid the ongoing controversy with the franchise stemming from the questionable signing of Justin Tucker to the practice squad, the off-field issues only grew today with another troubling development. For the second time in KC's past four contests, head coach Andy Reid made a puzzling decision to bench a key starter in the trenches.

During pregame warm-ups, Mike Caliendo was seen taking first-team reps over Kingsley Suamataia. It was strikingly similar to the Chiefs' Week 4 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders back in October when the third-year lineman was benched for the veteran backup. Indeed, Suamataia's absence in the defeat was once again a "coaching decision."

The last time this happened, Reid remained tight-lipped on the situation and made it clear that the details would remain private. When he was asked about Caliendo taking over at left guard in his postgame press conference today, his answer was the same.

"Yeah, that's just between Kingsley and I, so," Reid briefly responded.

The Chiefs have confirmed it's a "coach's decision" on Kingsley Suamataia. Mike Caliendo set to start at left guard. https://t.co/WoU0UqMFBh
— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) November 1, 2026

Prior to his first trip to the bench before Week 4, Suamataia had taken every snap at left guard in 2026 and played exceptionally well. Since then, it feels like a coin toss determining who is going to occupy the position every week.

Both instances were likely disciplinary or accountability-driven decisions by the coaching staff. ESPN insider Nate Taylor revealed that Caliendo was privately named the starter the day before kickoff against the Raiders, confirming that Reid and his staff made a premeditated choice.

The consequences came into focus when Caliendo was overpowered by Malcolm Roach and surrendered what ended up being a walk-off sack for Denver on the final play from scrimmage, which certainly didn't sit well with the fanbase.

Andy Reid benched his starting LG for unknown reasons again.

Watch the backup LG on the final play of the game. pic.twitter.com/Uo5DxTq2Xp
— MahomesToKelce (@kcmojimmy) November 2, 2026

Superstar tight end Travis Kelce weighed in on the matter postgame as well, noting that he isn't aware of what led to Suamataia's benching but said he trusts the coaching staff's judgment.

"He's family. Everybody has their own road," Kelce told the media. "We love Kingsley, we think he's a hell of a player. At this time, I'm not even sure what the scenario is. I'm rolling with whoever we've got in that game. I'm sure Kingsley is drooling, trying to get back out there."

The uncertainty surrounding the move is only compounded by the fact that Suamataia is not dealing with an injury. Fans have been left in the dark with his status since he is not included on injury reports leading into games.

While the coaching staff isn't sounding the alarm over this two-game losing skid, things are starting to unravel in Kansas City. Constantly sitting one of your top linemen for undisclosed reasons is not exactly a way to turn things around.

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