For the past few years, whenever Patrick Mahomes dropped back in the pocket, he had a human bulldozer named Joe Thuney guarding his blind side. The veteran guard was dependable, no doubt. But he was also that quiet, no-drama bodyguard who could flip to left tackle mid-Super Bowl like it was nothing. So, when Andy Reid and the Chiefs shipped him off to Chicago this offseason? Yeah, it shook things up more than a little.

Now? It’s patch-the-wall season in Kansas City. That left guard spot is basically the hottest open seat in town. They’ve got a mix of in-house hopefuls and maybe a free agent or two lurking in the background, but the truth is—replacing a guy like Thuney is not a walk in the park. There’s talent, sure, but the job’s going to be hard for Reid to find a replacement.

Enter Kingsley Suamataia, a 22-year-old left tackle who is expected to turn in at left guard. Last month, the head coach confirmed that Suamataia will compete with Mike Caliendo for the left guard position. And it seems like the Chiefs are all set to go ahead with Suamataia in the 2025 season. Why? Well, Andy Reid just shed light on their left guard issues and confirmed his new position.

“We’re moving him in there… He’s doing a nice job so far,” Reid said about Suamataia playing at left guard. Drafted by the Chiefs in the second round with the 63rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft, the 22-year-old spent most of his rookie season at left tackle. But he flipped the script during the final regular-season game against the Denver Broncos, where he started as left guard and fared well.

Fast forward to April, and Andy Reid addressed the Chiefs’ concerns over the vacant position and stated that “When we brought [Sumataia] in, we knew he had that flexibility, we just felt that way athletically. He is a very good athlete, he can run and he can pass block, do all the things that he needs to do.” But the plot thickened as the HC went on, admitting, “He’ll start [at guard] with Mike Caliendo. They’ll compete for that spot.”

Fast forward one more time, and it’s pretty much certain that Kingsley Suamataia is gearing up to replace Joe Thuney. Sure, it’s hard for him to replicate the heroics that Thuney pulled for the Chiefs in the past few years, and yes, the expectations are high from him. But we’ll see how he develops at the new position. In the meantime, Reid and Co. are out there losing their purse on the rookies ahead of the 2025 season.

Andy Reid and Co. spent a pretty chunk of money on UDFAs

After the 2025 NFL draft wrapped up in Green Bay last month, the Chiefs went home after adding 7 players to their arsenal, mostly to protect their quarterback as the team has its sights on their next Lombardi. We’re talking about the likes of the first-round pick Josh Simmons, the second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott, you name it. But even though the draft was over on day 3, Andy Reid still had some positions to address.

And get this, the Chiefs and the head coach didn’t shy away from losing purse on the undrafted free agents. Before we jump on that, let’s clarify one thing: each franchises in the NFL are provided with a budget of $206,144 to distribute as bonuses. The interesting part? Well, the Kansas City team went almost broke while distributing the bonuses to their UDFAs.

The TE Jake Briningstool, stacked up the highest bonus, taking home $30K. Meanwhile, Dalton Cooper and DT Coziah Izzard came up next with $25K each. Did something click? Yeah, the Chiefs are spending a pretty good chunk of money on the tackles ahead of the 2025 season. Then there’s OT Esa Pole, CB Kevin Knowles, and S Glendon Miller, who stacked up $20K each.

Andy Reid’s vision seems clear. The head coach went all in to provide his quarterback with the protectors. And why not? The Super Bowl LIX’s memories are still fresh. And if we add LB Brandon George, CB Melvin Smith Jr., and TE Tre Watson, who get $15K each, followed by WR Mac Dalena ($10K), P Eddie Czaplichi ($5K), with RB Elijah Young and WR Justin Lockhart with their $ 3,000 bonus, the Chiefs spent almost the entire budget on their UDFAs.

And by the time all this money-sprinkling wrapped up, the Kansas City team just left with $144 from the entire budget. So, all in all, Andy Reid and Co. are now gearing up to start their 2025 season, given the left guard situation seems sorted and they’re done signing their UDFAs as well.