Getty Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
The Kansas City Chiefs will start third-year offensive lineman Wanya Morris at left tackle in Week 3, when the Chiefs face the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.
“The Kansas City Chiefs are making a major lineup change for their Sunday night showdown against the Atlanta Falcons. Sources say Wanya Morris, the second-year offensive lineman, will start tonight’s game as the left tackle and blindside protector for quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia heads to the bench,” Rapoport wrote on September 22.
Suamataia, a rookie second-round pick, won the starting left tackle job this summer but struggled mightily in Kansas City’s Week 2 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. In that game, Suamataia gave up four total pressures (2 sacks, 1 QB hurry, 1 QB hit) and was penalized two times, per PFF. The rookie was pulled from the lineup late in the fourth quarter in favor of Morris.
“Like I said last night, I felt like we needed to take a step back to take a step forward,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said of Suamataia’s benching on September 16. “Whether he’s in or out, I still think that was the right thing to do there and if he’s out this week, then it’ll be the right thing to do with that. We haven’t lost confidence in him and that he was going against a good player, and he’s got to learn from it. I think he mentioned that to you (the media). He’s got to take it in and get better and I would tell you that with some of our young guys that played last night. They’ve got to just learn from the experiences that they get in these games.”
Chiefs ‘Have a Lot of Faith’ in Kingsley Suamataia
Kansas City offensive line coach Andy Heck was asked about Suamataia’s Week 2 performance during his press conference on September 19.
“In the second half, he (Kingsley Suamataia) had a couple breakdowns in technique, and he had one or two mental errors there,” Heck explained. “I think it was earlier in the game that those occurred, but stuff that he was able to look at, we’re able to make corrections in our meeting and stuff he’s working on this week.”
Despite the rough outing against a tough opponent, Heck isn’t giving up on Suamataia.
“I mean, I think every rookie will go through those ups and downs. Let’s not forget who he’s playing against – an elite pass rusher there [in Cincinnati’s Trey Hendrickson]. It’s a good lesson, good opportunity to learn and grow, so by no means am I down on Kingsley, I’ve got a lot of faith in him.”
X Users Reacted to Wanya Morris Getting Starting Nod
Users on X — formerly Twitter — reacted to Morris getting the starting nod at left tackle in Week 3.
“Big moment for Wanya Morris! Protecting Mahomes’ blindside is a huge task,” one person wrote. “Let’s see how he performs!”
“I honestly don’t love this. Team knows best, but you’d figure it’d be a bigger boost to Kingsley’s confidence to get him back out there ASAP against what should be a much easier pass rush,” another person wrote.
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Chiefs to Make ‘Major Lineup Change’ at Key Starting Position: Report