David Bell
I wanted to revisit the moveable pieces along the offensive line. Why? Because a new situation arose when the Chiefs held their last practice at St. Joe – Jawaan Taylor suffered an injury and had to be carted from the field to the clubhouse. That’s a worry because that was seeing a starter whose injury could affect the whole offensive line. Previously, I have written about the foibles of Taylor in the 2023 season and the misguided NFL Officiating that accompanied Taylor’s travails. I am not backing down on that. The officiating in many cases was completely awful. I do not expect Taylor to suffer such abuse by neglecting what he must do to avoid the bad calls by the bad zebras.
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Full of Cheer
I don’t think there is any player among the OL Line Group that has any malice toward one of their cohorts. They appear to me to root for one another and publicly support each of the other players. I have heard about no cross-words among them, for one another. I am not cheering that Taylor was injured or that he might miss time (probably the game Saturday for example). So far, the Chiefs have said that Taylor’s shoulder injury was not major, but that is pending further evaluation. I don’t expect Taylor to miss much time.
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Even if this is the case, Joe Thuney has returned to practice after suffering a pectoral tear in 2023. I must add him back to the starting role he has so superbly filled since arriving in K.C. three years ago, 2021. I worried that due to age, his potential might be diminished until well after opening day. Thuney may still miss a couple of games, probably preseason games. He is rehabbing on the fly now, but it says something of his determination to clear the physical and return to activity. I had previously worried that Thuney would take far longer to recover and rehab. I am surprised he has been able to return to action so quickly.
This is good news, as Thuney was in my mind, one of Brett Veach’s superior moves in player acquisitions. That’s part of Veach’s mastery of constructing a solid roster.
Thuney will join a threesome of the Interior Offensive line which is a Superior group of all NFL rosters, with accompanying Center Creed Humphrey, and ROG Trey Smith. All Three Players were rated 90+ by PFF. Not only that, but I think we must add Mike Caliendo as a depth player who appears capable of being a starter, as well as incoming rookie and late-round draft pick Hunter Nourzad (a 5th rounder, pick 159). He appears to be dependable enough already to count as the #2 OC and as a depth Interior player who provides the flexibility to move to either OG Role.
Add to that the next #2 OG, C.J. Hanson, has played well in the only pre-season game thus far. Barring a massive shift in performance or an injury, I’d venture to say, the Interior of the Offensive Line is set!
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What Jawaan Taylor’s Injury Means
Let’s re-examine the OT situation. First off, when Taylor left the field of practice, Lucas Niang was inserted in his stead. I mentioned this in a comment to Laddie’s article yesterday. That Niang was immediately inserted may have meaning beyond just the fact that he became “First In.” Let me explain:
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“The injury to Taylor will give Andy Heck time to evaluate other players, such as Lucas Niang and Wanya Morris. When Niang was drafted, I watched intently sessions from his workouts. He appeared to me to have excellent talent and technique for the ROT tackle role. He did not have this when working out on the left side. Laddie and I commented to one another at the time and he had the same thinking as I did. I’d say that Niang could well be a solid ROT, but not a depth player on the left side nor suitable as a Swing Tackle.”
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It was unfortunate that Niang was injured when he was inserted as a starter in 2022. Trey Smith was knocked over on top of Niang which ended Niang’s chances at that time. Making an even more important evaluation, if I go so far as to posit that the Chief’s new LOT is Kingsley Suamataia, then Wanya Morris becomes the #2 LOT, but he also is very appropriate for the SW/T Role. We saw Morris in 2023, as a Substitute for Donovan Smith in season games. He was also a starting ROT at the collegiate level. I am confident that Suamataia will win the LOT role. Here is what OC Matt Nagy had to say about Kingsley.
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Here is an observation from Charles Goldman about the OL adding to Andy Heck’s overall appraisal:
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If my prognostication is correct, Suamataia will be the starting LOT and Wanya Morris will be the SW/T. That would give me the best scenario for the “starting six” players of the OL. If I had to say it was a “starting seven” player, I think Mike Caliendo as the first in OG completes the picture, and by default, Hunter Nourzad becomes the #2 OC and depth for the IOL.
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On Kingsley Suamataia
Early on, I projected that Suamataia would emerge as the starting LOT. I believe that this is now nearly confirmed, but coach-speak by sundry coaches, including HC Andy Reid… but every coach won’t say that the battle is over (they need to ensure that Suamataia stays motivated).
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Heck also observed:
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All that remained was for Suamataia to improve execution, add technique, and learn the playbook.
There it is. My projection of how to view the status of the Chiefs Offensive Front, which I think will be in place on opening day. It’s certainly not set in stone and things can change quickly due to camp’s ending and the remaining Preseason games. I hope that Taylor can return quickly to action. I am completely taken by surprise that Thuney has been able to return so quickly. For the rest of it, I think the OL is very solid across the board — with depth.
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David Bell — ArrowheadOne
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