KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Chiefs’ game of musical chairs along the offensive line continued Saturday with another shuffling of the five up front on offense.
Right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who has appeared on the Chiefs’ injury report with a knee injury for the last four weeks, left the game late in the third quarter, but his replacement — Wanya Morris — filled in admirably.
“Coach Andy Heck and (assistant offensive line coach) Corey Matthaei do a phenomenal job to make sure it’s a next-man-up mentality,” right guard Trey Smith. “Whoever steps on that field is going to be able to go and play at a high level.”
Left guard Mike Caliendo, who has started the last two games for the first time in his NFL career, echoed that Kansas City's coaches emphasize developing a room full of potential starters.
“Anybody being able to step in when something happens, something crazy happens, is crucial — especially to an O-line room,” Caliendo said. “I’ve been preparing as if I was the starter since I got here. Even when I was on the practice squad, I wanted to prepare as if I was the starter just in case that opportunity ever came up. It’s here right now, and I’m doing my best to seize that opportunity.”
Taylor suffered a sprained knee, forcing Morris to take over at right tackle in the fourth quarter as the offense ran out the clock and finished the game in the "victory formation" for the second straight week.
“I thought Wanya did a nice job coming in," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "I thought Joe (Thuney) did a nice job on the other side, too.”
One week after quarterback Patrick Mahomes got hit 12 times in a win at Cleveland, the vaunted Houston pass rush only managed one sack and four QB hits in Kansas City's 27-19 victory.
Morris had served as the Chiefs’ starting left tackle for much of the season, replacing an ineffective Kingsley Suamataia in Week 2.
But Morris endured his own struggles as the season wore on, prompting Kansas City to pluck D.J. Humphries from the free-agent wire after his surgically repaired knee was medically cleared.
Humphries started two weeks ago against the Los Angeles Chargers but left that game in the fourth quarter with a hamstring injury.
Joe Thuney bumped from guard to left tackle with Humphries unable to play the last two weeks and Caliendo stepped in for Thuney at guard.
“He has taught me so much the past few years," Caliendo said. "I have tried to emulate everything he does because he’s an incredible player."
It's helped him feel prepared and the same mentality allowed Morris to stay ready.
“Wanya’s gone back to the drawing board and worked on it and is getting better every day,” Reid said.
He said Morris and Suamataia “will be OK” and are “working like crazy to get back where they need to be," which is prepared to help protect Mahomes when needed.
—
