Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid took to the podium following Monday morning’s practice in St. Joe. The clubs’ 15th training camp practice was their first since their 20-17 preseason loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday evening.
While the end result is irrelevant, the Chiefs coaching staff learned a lot from the first of three exhibition matchups. One area under close observation is the starting offensive line, which showed promise following a small sample size, particularly on the left side.
Coach Reid says he liked what he saw from rookie left tackle Josh Simmons and newly appointed left guard and second-year pro Kingsley Suamataia.
“I thought [Kingsley Suamataia] did a good job. Both he and [Josh] Simmons, I thought worked well together. They didn’t have a ton of snaps, but for what they had, I thought they did well with.”
The Chiefs’ starting o-line played 11 total snaps in the first quarter. During which, Kansas City made some terrific offensive plays. Including a 10-yard run by running back Isiah Pacheco on the first play from scrimmage, thanks to some excellent blocking.
The unit also gave Patrick Mahomes a clean pocket to deliver a one-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jason Brownlee to create an early 7-0 lead.
However, it’s not just the who’ll make up the starting o-line for 2025, the Chiefs are also looking to build up solid depth along the line as well and one name that stood out on Saturday was Mike Caliendo.
“I thought Mike [Caliendo] actually played well in the game, too,” Reid noted. “But I would expect that. We look at him like he’s a starter, which he did last year. He got great experience last year. So, we have pure confidence that he can step in and play either of those positions that you mentioned there.”
Caliendo is a special player for Kansas City because of his ability to play within the interior of the o-line and on the edge. The fourth-year pro got some valuable time with the starters late last season when the team was dealing with some extensive injuries across the o-line. This season, Caliendo can use that experience to cement himself in a permanent role on the active roster.
