As the Kansas City Chiefs took the field for warmups ahead of the divisional matchup with the Denver Broncos in Mile High, the local beat took notice of a change in the starting offensive lineup: for the second time this season, veteran backup Mike Caliendo replaced Kingsley Suamataia as the first-team left guard on game day.
According to Pete Sweeney and Sam McDowell of The Kansas City Star, third-year player and second-year starter
Kingsley Suamataia is still dressed and did rotate in with the starters in pre-game warmups, but Caliendo is starting the game.
CBS sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson posted the news on X, reporting the Chiefs’ change at left guard is a “coaches decision.”
That is the same line that was used in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders, when Suamataia was suddenly sidelined in favor of Caliendo after not appearing on the injury report (he was not listed on it this week, either). After that game, head coach Andy Reid did not reveal any information about the move and told reporters it was between him and Kingsley.
We’ll wait to see whether Reid provides more about the decision this time around. By all accounts, Suamataia has been playing well this season, and Caliendo does not bring the same level of talent or down-to-down effectiveness to the field.
