The Kansas City Chiefs’ much-maligned offensive performance in Sunday’s 20-10 loss to the Houston Texans might have been even worse if not for rookie tackle Esa Pole.
Pole — an undrafted free agent out
of Washington State — stepped in at left tackle after Wanya Morris suffered what is believed to be a season-ending knee injury on the first play from scrimmage. It marked Pole’s first NFL action after a remarkably short football résumé; he didn’t play organized football until 2021, when he enrolled at Chabot College — a community school in Hayward, California.
Pole held his own against Texans pass rusher Danielle Hunter, who entered the game with 11 sacks on the season. Speaking Monday, head coach Andy Reid emphasized just how little preparation the rookie had.
“After the game,” Reid recalled, “I mentioned I was proud of him because he had no reps in practice for the most part — and then just a couple fill-in things. I thought he did a nice job for what he was asked to do. We just picked him back up here — and again, [he] had limited reps and jumps in. He’s a rookie. He jumps in and did some pretty good things against what I think is a pretty good football player.”
Pole’s services may be needed again Sunday. Starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor has missed the first two practices of the week with a triceps injury. Swing tackle Jaylon Moore will likely again fill in for Taylor, leaving Pole to man the left side.
Reid is eager to see Pole play again — but cautioned that the rookie’s second test comes with a familiar NFL wrinkle: opponents will now have tape of him.
“If you’re getting in there,” said Reid, “you’d better keep practicing and detailing your work. It’s important.”
Pole’s emergence has also reignited questions about why Kansas City released him at the end of training camp. He was claimed by the New York Jets before being waived again in October, then re-signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad. He returned to the active roster in Week 14, when rookie tackle Josh Simmons was placed on Reserve/Injured after his wrist surgery.
As is so often the case, waiving Pole was about numbers.
“We took him originally just because we thought he’d be a good player,” explained Reid. “You’ve got to juggle the numbers — which is always a challenge — and so he got poached there. When he got unpoached, we poached him. It was pretty simple, but we got him back here as quickly as we could.”
Offensive coordinator Matt Nagy echoed Reid’s perspective Thursday, noting that injuries sometimes create unexpected opportunities — even if the comparisons aren’t perfect.
“When an injury happens,” Nagy said, “you think of Tom Brady and just how that kind of happened at that point in time. That’s a much different example, but sometimes guys get an opportunity that maybe they wouldn’t have gotten for whatever reason.”
Nagy agreed with his boss that for Pole, the biggest tests will be in the coming weeks.
“When a guy like Esa steps up and does what he did in that moment after the very first play — I cannot begin to say how proud I am of him and what he did,” declared Nagy. “That’s great for him. That’s great for us. That’s important.
“You’re not always going to be spot-on with evaluations until players get real chances. He got a real chance — and now for him, what’s he going to do with it?”
