It has been only eight weeks into the 2026 season, and the Kansas City Chiefs guard, Kingsley Suamataia, must already be dreading the word ‘bench.’ The BYU Cougars product was benched in the Week 4 matchup. While he must have thought that the air finally cleared, Andy Reid decided to sideline him again ahead of the Denver Broncos face-off. The head coach pulled the curtain on his decision, yet did not open it fully. 

Mike Caliendo was handed the keys to lead the guard position before the Week 8 battle. After tasting the second loss of the season, Reid thought to clarify his decision concerning Suamataia. According to him, he had no intention of teaching the player a lesson. 

“He was at practice last week. This is just between Kingsley & I. It’s not something that’s earth-shattering,” shared Reid in an interview with KSHB 41. “I’ll just keep it there. … I didn’t say it was punishment, ever. This was just between Kingsley & I working some things out here. This isn’t punishment. I’ll leave it at that.”

Last time, there was no official statement from the Chiefs squad revealing what led to pushing Suamataia to the sideline. But Chiefs ESPN insider Nate Taylor came up with his take. 

“The team has not told me directly that is indeed the case, but I haven’t gotten a full denial that it wasn’t disciplinary,” Taylor said on 96.5 The Fan back in October. “It was very disciplinary related, from what I can understand. I don’t think Kingsley missed the flight. I haven’t heard that. I think he made the flight. Something happened Saturday from what I understand. It wasn’t anything that happened in Vegas.”

Cut to November, Suamataia was a full participant in the Chiefs’ three practices last week. Injury report? Clear. Yet fans saw backup guard, Caliendo, handling most of the left guard reps during pregame warmups alongside the starting offensive line. Reid trusted the fifth-year veteran (UDFA in 2022), who remained on the field for all 69 offensive snaps, while Suamataia saw action on just five special teams snaps.

Caliendo did a good job protecting Patrick Mahomes during the first two quarters. He didn’t allow the opposing defense to put any pressure on the quarterback. But things started taking an uglier turn after halftime. In the fourth quarter, he failed to block defensive tackle Malcolm Roach, allowing Mahomes to be sacked on the final play of the game.

And Suamataia’s replacement clearly failed at the tough job. 

This was not the first time that the “coaching decision” proved to be costly for the Chiefs. 

Before the Las Vegas Raiders game, Suamataia had the lowest pressure rate allowed in the NFL among starting left guards at 3.8%. Yet, it was Reid’s decision to sit him out. There were bad plays from Caliendo as he gave up a sack.

However, Caliendo’s struggles against Denver became even more apparent when looking at the numbers. According to PFF, the backup guard surrendered five pressures against the Broncos, matching the total number of pressures Suamataia had allowed across all his starts this season. In other words, Caliendo gave up as many pressures in a single afternoon as the regular starter had conceded over five weeks.

What added to the problem was that Caliendo missed several blocks in the running game, making it difficult for Kenneth Walker to find room to operate. Denver’s defense took advantage, shutting down the starting running back on multiple occasions and preventing Kansas City from dominating with a consistent ground attack. 

While Reid still keeps things under wraps, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce openly shared his feelings about Suamataia. 

Travis Kelce’s Reaction After Andy Reid’s Decision

The fact that Reid toned down the seriousness surrounding the situation, striking down possibilities of a punishment, means Suamataia should realistically be back in the lineup. While fans are yet to get some clarity on the situation, Kelce will be happy to have him back. 

“We love Kingsley,” Kelce said when questioned by reporters, as reported by Taylor. “He’s family. Everybody has their own road. We love Kingsley, we think he’s a hell of a player. At this time, I’m not even sure what the scenario is. I’m rolling with whoever we’ve got in that game. I’m sure Kingsley is drooling, trying to get back out there.”

No matter what, the time is running out for the Chiefs. After all, the Chiefs have endured a rather unsettled situation along the offensive line throughout this season.

What was already an inconsistent offensive line has become an even bigger problem for the Chiefs with back-to-back benchings of Suamataia. It’s now time to see when Reid absolutely becomes sure about him.