If you’re not one of the 11 players on the field at a given time in the NFL, the mantra is simple: Stay ready.
Opportunity came knocking for Kansas City Chiefs rookie OT Esa Pole, with veteran OT Wanya Morris getting hurt on the first play from scrimmage in Week 14 vs. the Houston Texans. His head might have been spinning, but Pole was ready for that moment. In what was his first career regular-season game, facing the NFL’s best pass-rushing duo in Texans’ Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter, Pole allowed just three pressures on 42 pass-blocking snaps.
Pole got his opportunity to impress, and he took full advantage of it. However, had Morris not been injured, Pole may never have earned his shot to play in Week 14’s game. Asked about the decision-making process for deciding who gets to play, Chiefs OC Matt Nagy couldn’t help but recall one of the greatest players in NFL history following a similar path.
Esa Pole got his Tom Brady moment in Week 14 vs. the Texans
“It’s a good point that, I mean, shoot, you think of when an injury happens, you think of Tom Brady, and just how that kind of happened at that point in time,” Nagy said. “That’s a much different example, but your point is valid.”
Wanya Morris is not Drew Bledsoe, and Esa Pole is not Tom Brady. Though I’m sure the Chiefs would like to hope he is. However, the point Nagy is making here is less a direct player comparison and more of a situational comparison.
“Sometimes guys get an opportunity that maybe they wouldn’t have gotten for whatever reason, when a guy like Esa (Pole) 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. That’s great for him. That’s great for us. That’s important. You’re not always going to be spot on with your evaluation until guys get real chances. He got a real chance. Now, for him, what is he going to do with it? He does have game tape now, and that’s one sample.”
With RT Jawaan Taylor not practicing for two consecutive days, it’s looking more and more likely that Pole will draw his first career start in Week 15 against the Los Angeles Chargers. He’s got the single game under his belt, but the challenge now is to be consistent. Jim Harbaugh is no fool, and he’ll surely direct his defensive coordinator to throw as many different looks at Pole as he possibly can in an effort to catch an inexperienced player lacking.
As Nagy says, Pole’s got a real chance, and now he has to decide what he’s going to do with it. Will he rise to the occasion as a starter against an AFC West foe with playoff chances dwindling, building upon his Week 14 performance? What’s on the line for the rookie is simple, too—an opportunity to be more than just a spot-starter for this team moving forward.
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This story was originally published by A to Z Sports on Dec 12, 2025, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add A to Z Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.