Kingsley Suamataia got starter treatment. How'd he look?
Examining every snap of the rookie LT and discussing how Andy Reid gave a clear signal as to who the starter is at the position.
We’re finally here! It’s finally time to review 2024 film!
Well, sort of. A little.
After an offseason that went by faster than any that I can remember (seriously, I BLINKED and lost all of May/June/July, which is pretty common for those of us in Minnesota), the 2024 Chiefs took the field against an opponent for the first time. It was our first opportunity to look at this iteration of Patrick Mahomes and company. And even though we have to be careful what we take from preseason action, there’s a real joy in digging into new game film for the first time since February.
Prior to the game I wrote about who (and what) I was watching as the Chiefs started their quest for a threepeat. I had a general idea who I was going to write about based on knowing what I had an eye on beforehand. And I’m not going to let a little thing like an incredibly small snap count stand in my way!
Remember, the big things we’re looking at in preseason have almost nothing to do with RESULT of a play. Rather, it’s the PROCESS that matters, as we try to learn about various players who are new to the team and/or developing. And the second thing we can look at is usage. The way Andy Reid treats players during preseason games is often a pretty clear signal as to how he views them.
And that’s where we’ll start with Kingsley Suamataia, who saw his first “start” at left tackle for the Chiefs on Saturday (italics because, you know, preseason and stuff). While Kingsley only playing a handful of snaps (six, to be exact) limits what we can look at in terms of his skillset (though I’ll do my best, because he was against starters and that matters), it’s the brevity of snaps that actually catches my attention as much as anything he could have done on the field.
The first-team offense only played a single series, driving down the field pretty effectively but settling for a field goal. And then Reid, in something of a surprise, pulled not just the skill position players but the starting OL as well (perhaps Hollywood Brown’s injury spooked him?). And even more surprisingly, Kingsley came off the field with them. By doing so, Reid sent the strongest possible signal he could have that the left tackle battle is indeed wrapped up and Kingsley will be the starter.
