Andy Reid Confirms Chiefs' Left Tackle Plan for Week 7, Preaches Patience with Youth

The Chiefs have made their call on who will start between Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia against the 49ers, and Andy Reid accepts growing pains for both.

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Wanya Morris (64) celebrates with running back Carson Steele (42) after scoring a touchdown during the second half against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Coming out of the bye week, the Kansas City Chiefs have several things to sort out on the offensive side of the ball. One of them is how the left tackle situation will continue to unfold, and it appears that a decision has been made as Week 7 arrives.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, head coach Andy Reid confirmed that second-year man Wanya Morris will remain the club's starter on the left side. For the fourth game in a row, the former third-round pick will be responsible for keeping quarterback Patrick Mahomes safe.

Reid seems well aware that Kansas City has a pair of inexperienced options at that spot, preaching a need for understanding but also progress as the season rolls on.

"Listen, we've got young guys playing left tackle," Reid said. "That's not a secret. It's important that we just continue to progress there and get better. We know there are going to be some hiccups. We've just got to keep getting better and better as we go. That's the important thing, and guys are working hard. That's kind of where we're at with that."

This goes hand-in-hand with what Reid said earlier this week: Morris and rookie second-rounder Kingsley Suamataia both have tons of room to keep getting better.

"We obviously looked at that, and both of them can do better," Reid said. "Wanya knows what he's got to work on and likewise, Kingsley does. We're lucky to have both the guys, both young guys, and we're kind of growing with them here. We'll just kind of let that process keep rolling."

Considering how Morris has played since taking over for Suamataia, it's no surprise that he'll once again get the nod this weekend. The San Francisco 49ers' defense may not be at this juncture what it once was, but it's still a very talented unit that will provide Morris and company with a serious challenge. Entering Sunday's game with just a 6.5% pressure rate (per Pro Football Focus), that figure will be put to the test against one of the premier teams in the NFC.

It's been a quick fall from grace for Suamataia, who many believed held the inside edge on the starting job the second he got drafted. Despite seemingly winning the competition against Morris during training camp and getting high marks from Reid for his preseason debut, the BYU product's youth certainly showed in his first two NFL games. His Week 2 struggles versus Trey Hendrickson of the Cincinnati Bengals prompted Reid to bench him, and Morris hasn't looked back ever since.

While the battle may not necessarily be over, the ball is absolutely still in Morris's court. We'll see if Sunday changes that at all.

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