The Kansas City Chiefs continue the summer grind in St. Joseph while players are still practicing without pads, but that won’t be for long. Following the team’s off day on Thursday of this week, players are expected to transition to full pads once they return on Friday to practice.
Switching to pads means slightly upping the physicality for team activities, but also gives more clarity to position battles. One of the most intriguing battles going on for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions is at left tackle. Right now, second-year lineman Wanya Morris and rookie Kingsley Suamataia are the two front runners at the moment to get the left tackle job.
Morris has the edge so far over the rookie from BYU through the first week of camp. Head coach Andy Reid feels the difference will be seen once pads come on. “Once you mix the pass and the run in, that’s what you’ve got to get going here,” Reid said.
“The run is all curved down to where it’s almost just fits, so it’s not quite the same.” Luckily for the Chiefs, the right tackle position is a sure thing with Jawaan Taylor having signed a lengthy and lucrative contract prior to the 2023 regular season. Taylor had some issues, particularly early in the season last year, avoiding penalties for false starts given his alignment so far away from the line of scrimmage and his timing of the snap, which made Taylor one of the most penalized lineman in the league in 2023.
This summer, Tayloy hopes to cut down on those miscu.