Let the Battle for Left Guard Begin

What do each of the three players vying for the starting LG spot offer the Chiefs for the upcoming 2025 season.

There’s been a ton of talk this off-season about how the Kansas City Chiefs are going to fix their offensive line. From free agency signings, to the draft, to mini-camp, and now as we near training camp, the offensive line will continue to be a main topic of conversation. Earlier this week the Chiefs got Trey Smith signed on an extension locking the OC-RG duo for the foreseeable future but that was just one question the team was faced with.

The biggest talking point has been — and like continues to be — the left tackle position and how Jaylon Moore and Joshua Simmons can perform this season. It’s a topic certainly worthy of a ton of discussion, but there is another position along the offensive line that is certain to have a new starter this season as well with Joe Thuney being traded to the Chicago Bears.

The left guard position battle has also received some attention this off-season but near as much as the left tackle spot and it might be the more interesting battle. The common belief is that last year’s second round pick Kingsley Suamataia will step into the starting LG role. If he’s not ready right away, Mike Caliendo — who started the six of the final seven games at LG — can step back into the starting role. While neither option may be overly sexy at this point in time, there seems to be an expectation there that has led to a smaller emphasis this off-season.

With training camp just a few weeks away, this seems like a great time to lay down the foundation of what this position battle could like. Who the players are (spoiler, there may be more than two), what they do well, and what they need to improve on to win the job.

Left Guard Battle

Kingsley Suamataia is likely the fan favorite to win this job based on his draft position, his potential and the flashes in the Week 18 game against the Denver Broncos. Mike Caliendo is the veteran presence that checks into work, does his job, and can offer some continuity with the returning starters on the right side of the line. Then there is the dark horse candidate, Hunter Nourzad. Rarely mentioned in this competition is the utility OL who has played all over the offensive line in college and even in pre-season for the Chiefs who brings arguably the best film of the competitors into the Chiefs’ 2025 Training Camp.

Let’s dive into the players competing for this starting LG spot.

Kingsley Suamataia

Suamataia is in an interesting spot when trying to figure out how ecstatic fans should be on the on the outside. On one hand, he was a super talented offensive linemen coming out of BYU with good size, great athletic ability, and the look of a NFL player. On the other hand, he was given an opportunity to “sink or swim” at left tackle last season and sunk about as quickly as a stone. Now we turn the page to 2025 and he’s no longer in the mix for a tackle spot but instead kicking inside to guard. The position change allows for some excitement to return for his potential but everything is based around a single Week 18 game in which the Chiefs’ only played back-ups.

Strengths