David Bell
There has been frequent pundit commentary about the battle for the LOT role. That makes sense, but what I am presenting is a potential exposure and how I think it might play out.
Point One: Kingsley Suamataia (LOT)
The Chiefs drafted a round-one talent when GM Brett Veach chose Kingsley with a second-round pick. The early point at camp to watch for is who gets the early reps with the “ones.”
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Suamataia photo courtesy of BYU
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Suamataia is a superior athlete when compared to Morris. I predict that it will be Suamataia who gets the nod. This may seem that favorites are in play (i.e. the common tie with HC Andy Reid to BYU by he and Kingsley Suamataia).
What to watch: the battle with Wanya Morris is the most important factor on the OL in camp and preseason games. As I observe above, watch for which player gets the nod early to play with the starters and then review Point 4.
Point Two: Wanya Morris
It’s my view that the Chiefs went out and got Suamataia with intent and that means that a 3rd round pick will likely cause coaching decisions early on.
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Morris in Action – 2023: photo courtesy of BVMSPORTS
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Depending on OL Coach, Andy Heck, along with his view and that of HC Andy Reid, I think that Suamataia will take on the starting role at LOT early. Morris did get starts in 2023 when Donovan Smith was unable to go and analysts gave him mixed reviews. I don’t care, personally who wins out at LOT. However, I think Morris can use his 2023 experience and he would be well suited for the Swing Tackle role (see Point Four below).
Point Three: Jawaan Taylor (ROT)
Taylor started on the right side all last season. Early on, he struggled due to the zebra’s attention to his alignment at the line of scrimmage. As that began to be “flagrant” attention, I started paying attention to other OTs in the NFL in other games who lined up a similar way. Flags were not thrown on those other tackles, which is why I used the terminology with the adjective “flagrant.”
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Jawaan Taylor Game Photo courtesy of Click on Detroit
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About halfway through the season, Taylor adjusted his alignment and played well — mostly — the rest of the way through the season and playoffs. Seth Keysor wrote an article on this very subject. He made a similar observation about Taylor’s adjusting his alignment and stated the rest is history, so to speak. The point should be made that Taylor’s contract has two more seasons to run and barring injury, he will be the starting ROT for the next two seasons. He is not “elite,” but he is a very good OT and it showed as the season rolled towards its finale.
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Niang Note: it is possible that Lucas Niang could emerge and challenge for the starting role at ROT. Early on, in Niang’s career, I believed in him, but not so much after the COVID sit out that he decided to do. It would be good though, if the 3rd round pick from 2020 finally ascended to Depth OT or could challenge for the SW/T role. My gut feeling is that Niang could be sacrificed and fail to even make the active roster, in which case, he could be traded. So, along with Taylor and Point Three, the addendum is to watch and see what Niang does in camp.
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Point Four: LOG Joe Thuney
Do you recall my references to Joe Thuney when Brett Veach acquired him? Thuney has been an elite OG in the NFL. However, he will turn 32 years old during the 2024 season, and he still has two more years remaining on his contract.
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Thuney game photo courtesy of sportscaster
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Joe is recovering from a pectoral muscle tear and that is not an easy injury to rehab from. For older players, it is even more difficult to get through rehab and return to form. Despite my accolades for Thuney early on, I don’t personally think he will be ready for opening day. Laddie and I conversed back and forth about the subject, and Laddie thought the same way.
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Overall? What to Watch For?
This is more difficult to predict, but I am looking at the idea of moving Wanya Morris inside to the LOG position early because I don’t think Thuney will be ready to Rock n’ Roll when the season begins. So, I am watching very carefully, early in camp for two things to happen.
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- Suamataia getting the early nod at LOT
- Wanya Morris getting reps inside at the LOG position.
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We’ll see what happens. Can you bank on these two “What to Watch For” points above? Nope, but that is how I see things before the pads go on. I like what I saw from Suamataia on the collegiate tape and I think Morris has the versatility to transition inside. Center and ROG are set with Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith (see Featured Image).
Meanwhile, what do the Chiefs do with Joe Thuney? Especially if he’s not ready to go at the beginning of the 2024 season? What do you think?
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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