Andy Reid on Kingsley Suamataia's Healthy Scratch and Wanya Morris's Performance in Buffalo

Rookie left tackle Kingsley Suamataia was a shocking healthy scratch for Sunday's game against the Buffalo Bills. Why did the Chiefs make him inactive? Andy Reid explains.

Sep 15, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia (76) arrives prior to a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Most weeks, a team's list of inactive players is relatively nondescript, as a given squad will usually have a similar crew who don't get a chance to suit up on game day, barring injury. Other weeks, the inactives may be hugely newsworthy — will a questionable player be available? The rarest form of inactive news is a high-profile benching. That's what the Chiefs did with rookie second-round tackle Kingsley Suamataia on Sunday.

Suamataia did not suit up in Buffalo, as the Chiefs instead chose to activate undrafted rookie Ethan Driskell, who had been a healthy scratch every game this season. Driskell took three special teams snaps in his NFL debut while Suamataia — KC's starter at left tackle in Week 1 and Week 2 — was in street clothes.

On Monday, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about the team's logic for demoting Suamataia another rung lower on Sunday.

"Kingsley will be OK," Reid said. "It's just, sometimes you have to take a step back to take a step
forward and that's what we felt we needed to do there. We'll go from there and just see how things work out here as he continues to work forward."

If starting left tackle Wanya Morris had suffered an injury on Sunday, it seems likely that the Chiefs would have moved left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle and elevated backup guard Mike Caliendo to the left guard position, rather than giving Driskell a brutal introduction to the NFL. Still, KC chose to completely sit Suamataia down rather than face a situation where he would be forced on to the field. That's a bleak development for a team's opening-day starting left tackle, though his recent appearances have provided justification for that harsh of a move.

Returning to Morris, who has been tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes's blindside since late in Week 2, Reid was asked how he felt Morris performed on Sunday and if the Chiefs would explore veteran help at the position.

"I actually thought Wanya got a little bit better this week," Reid said. "He's been doing that for the most part every week, but the injury stepped in on it last week for a while. I felt like he did some good things for a young guy, he improved and will continue to improve with reps there. Then, as far as a veteran player goes, [general manager Brett] Veach is always keeping his eyes open, so he would be the one that heads that up, and he birddogs all that."

Read More: Wanya Morris, Kingsley Suamataia and What's Next for the Chiefs' Left Tackle Position