{"id":1044278,"date":"2026-11-03T00:12:23","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T00:12:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1044278\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T00:12:23","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T00:12:23","slug":"this-isnt-punishment-kansas-city-chiefs-hc-andy-reids-comments-on-kingsley-suamataias-benching-only-further-fuel-the-mystery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/1044278\/","title":{"rendered":"‘This isn’t punishment’ \u2014 Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid’s comments on Kingsley Suamataia’s benching only further fuel the mystery"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tKansas City Chiefs<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a0The Kansas City Chiefs started Mike Caliendo over Kingsley Suamataia for the second time in 2026. Andy Reid addressed the decision again on Monday, raising new questions.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tAug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia (76) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid didn\u2019t offer much explanation for Kingsley Suamataia\u2019s second benching of the 2026 NFL season after the 28-24 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 8.<\/p>\n

Suamataia was first pulled from the starting lineup<\/a> during Week 4\u2019s game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Just like in Week 8 against the Broncos<\/a>, Mike Caliendo started at guard in place of Suamataia from the opening snap. After the Raiders game, Reid called it a coaching decision<\/a> and said it was between him and Kingsley. He repeated that sentiment directly after the loss to Denver.<\/p>\n

On Monday, Reid tried to clarify the situation. His comments only fueled speculation about what\u2019s going on behind the scenes.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, listen, (OL Kingsley Suamataia) he was at practice last week,\u201d Reid said. \u201cAnd this is just between Kingsley and I; it\u2019s not something that\u2019s earth-shattering. I\u2019ll just keep it there. But he was at practice all last week too, and he actually played in the game a little bit on special teams there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mike Caliendo struggled in Kingsley Suamataia\u2019s place against the Broncos<\/p>\n

Reid said the situation is not \u201cearth-shattering.\u201d Still, there\u2019s no denying that Suamataia\u2019s absence and Caliendo\u2019s presence affected the outcome in Denver.<\/p>\n

Caliendo gave up five pressures against the Broncos, according to PFF.<\/a> That matches the total number of pressures Suamataia has allowed across all the games he has started this season. In one afternoon, the replacement gave up as much as the starter did over five weeks.<\/p>\n

The problems weren\u2019t limited to pass protection. Caliendo also missed several blocks in the running game, and Denver thwarted starting RB Kenneth Walker on numerous occasions. For an offense that has struggled to establish the run, that\u2019s a high cost.<\/p>\n

If this situation truly isn\u2019t earth-shattering, then Suamataia should realistically be back in the lineup. He did play on special teams for Kansas City against the Broncos, which only added to the confusion about why he wasn\u2019t starting at guard.<\/p>\n

When a reporter with A to Z Sports suggested the benching was some sort of punishment, Reid pushed back. <\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, no, listen, Todd (Leabo), just so we have it straight, I didn\u2019t say it was punishment ever,\u201d Reid said. \u201cSo, this was just between (OL) Kingsley (Suamataia) and I, working some things out here. So, this isn\u2019t punishment, and I\u2019ll leave it at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

What\u2019s going on with Chiefs OG Kingsley Suamataia?<\/p>\n

With Reid leaving room for speculation, fans and observers have filled in the blanks themselves. Two theories have been brought up to me.<\/p>\n

Theory No. 1: Caliendo is outperforming Suamataia somewhere. This idea suggests that Caliendo is doing something better than Suamataia, whether in the classroom, at practice, or elsewhere. Under this view, the move isn\u2019t a punishment at all. The coaching staff simply believes Caliendo is the better option right now.<\/p>\n

Theory No. 2: The NFL trade deadline is involved. Some people speculate that Suamataia could be on the Chiefs\u2019 trade block. That\u2019s one of the few reasons that an NFL team would willfully hold a starter out of the lineup. Another version of that theory flips it around. Perhaps Kansas City is auditioning a player like Caliendo to see whether anyone would offer draft capital for his services.<\/p>\n

To be fair, neither theory fully explains why a player who wasn\u2019t being punished would sit for a backup who struggled as much as Caliendo did against Denver. Reid\u2019s public comments have kept things deliberately vague. But it seems like players don\u2019t fully grasp the situation either. Travis Kelce\u2019s postgame comments made that abundantly clear: <\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s family,\u201d Kelce said of Suamataia, via ESPN\u2019s Nate Taylor<\/a>. \u201cEverybody has their own road. We love Kingsley (Suamataia), we think he\u2019s a hell of a player. At this time, I\u2019m not even sure what the scenario is. I\u2019m rolling with whoever we\u2019ve got in that game. I\u2019m sure Kingsley is drooling, trying to get back out there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Why the Chiefs need a resolution soon<\/p>\n

Whatever the reason, the Chiefs need to figure this out. Their performance against the Broncos made it clear that they\u2019re better when Suamataia is on the field. They can\u2019t afford for something that isn\u2019t \u201cearth-shattering\u201d to keep an important piece on the sideline. The margins are too slim in the NFL, and Kansas City needs all the help they can get. <\/p>\n

The Chiefs\u2019 offensive line situation has been nothing short of strange in 2026, between Suamataia\u2019s two benchings and the play of starting LT Josh Simmons. The run game has struggled in each of the past two weeks, and pass protection has taken a step back with Caliendo in the lineup.<\/p>\n

Reid\u2019s comments on Monday were meant to calm things down. Instead, they left more questions than answers, and the uncertainty along the Chiefs\u2019 offensive line doesn\u2019t feel like it will end anytime soon. The next guard decision will say plenty about which theory, if any, is closer to the truth.<\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a><\/p>\n

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Kansas City Chiefs News<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\tHarrison Butker missed another kick in Week 8, but this one should fall squarely on the shoulders of Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Kansas City Chiefs watched K Harrison Butker miss a late field goal against the Denver Broncos, adding fuel to a kicking situation that already had Justin Tucker waiting on the practice squad.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home \/ NFL \/ Kansas City Chiefs \u00a0The Kansas City Chiefs started Mike Caliendo over Kingsley Suamataia for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1044279,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2063],"tags":[265,501,346,258,7,118,110,2438,2437,1730,393,21445,6],"class_list":["post-1044278","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-american-football","tag-andy-reid","tag-chiefs","tag-denver-broncos","tag-football","tag-kansas-city","tag-kansas-city-chiefs","tag-kansascity","tag-kansascitychiefs","tag-kingsley-suamataia","tag-las-vegas-raiders","tag-mike-caliendo","tag-nfl"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/117549619243943737","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1044278","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1044278"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1044278\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1044279"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1044278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1044278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1044278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}