KC Chiefs 'Biggest Remaining Offseason Priority': Who Protects Patrick Mahomes's Blindside?

The Kansas City Chiefs will only have a handful of true roster battles when training camp arrives in preparation for the 2024 NFL season, but KC's potential starting left tackles will be put under the microscope as they contend for their chance to protect the blindside of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Kevin Patra of NFL.com took a look at the "biggest remaining offseason priority" for each NFL team, and his biggest focus for the Chiefs involves second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia and the battle for the starting left tackle position:

Top priority: Find out if rookie Kingsley Suamataia can start at left tackle.
Remember last offseason, when the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to a big-money deal with the plan to move him to left tackle, then changed their minds less than two months later, inked Donovan Smith and flipped Taylor back to the right side? I wonder if Brett Veach and Andy Reid are similarly in a play-it-by-ear mode at left tackle this year. Suamataia and second-year tackle Wanya Morris are set to compete for LT duties. Do the Chiefs love youth protecting Patrick Mahomes' blind side, trusting the MVP QB to make it work? Or might they bring in a veteran -- perhaps Smith -- closer to training camp? It could depend on how Suamataia and Morris look in the coming months.

I'm not sure I would be comfortable saying that the Chiefs definitively planned for Taylor to play left tackle after signing him last offseason, but leaving him at his natural right tackle position made plenty of sense when Smith, a career left tackle, became available at a reasonable cost. Regardless, with offensive line coach Andy Heck, KC values versatility and flexibility across the offensive line, and the Suamataia/Morris battle will reflect that, with Smith still remaining a free agent.

The Chiefs are certainly giving the young tackles the first crack to earn the starting role, but I do agree that if Suamataia and Morris look out of place later during offseason activities and perhaps even early in training camp, the team would be wise to call Smith about a return trip. That would signal a bit of lost confidence in KC's 2024 second-round pick (Suamataia) and their 2023 third-rounder (Morris), who would provide a more ideal long-term cost-controlled solution to a vital position for years to come — if they can win the job and earn the trust of Reid, Mahomes and Heck.

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