Even if the Kansas City Chiefs sent a shock to the system for fans when they traded Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears earlier this offseason, it made sense. As GM Brett Veach invested in the younger guard in Kansas City, Trey Smith, as he was set to become a free agent, the Chiefs needed to clear money on the interior of the offensive line. Thuney ultimately made the most sense there. At the same time, though, the Chiefs are now facing the repercussions of their actions, namely the unsettling mystery of how they fill the hole left by the All-Pro guard.
On Tuesday, Thuney agreed to a big extension with the Bears. That was to be expected after Chicago's aggressive investment in the offensive line this offseason and hoping to keep that intact long term. For the Chiefs, though, such a deal underscores the obvious truth that, despite Kansas City trading him away, it had nothing to do with the player. Thuney is still one of the best guards in the NFL. And while the financial reasons to move him made sense, the void he leaves is massive.
Ostensibly, the Chiefs haven't made any direct moves this offseason to replace him. Their efforts in both free agency and the draft were more targeted toward fixing the issues at tackle, specifically signing Jaylon Moore and then using their first-round pick on Josh Simmons. Yet, the questions at guard still linger over Kansas City and this offseason will be a huge turning point for how they end up replacing Thuney.
Chiefs still left with uncertainty on how to replace Joe Thuney
The current expectation is that 2024 second-round pick Kingsley Suamataia, who spent all of last season trying to help fix the tackle issue, will replace Thuney at left guard. There were several draft analysts who suggested that might be his best path forward at the NFL during the pre-draft process coming out of BYU. Thus, that could seemingly be the best and surely the highest-upside solution for the Chiefs.
At the same time, Suamataia remains unfamiliar with the position. With that, there is always an inherent risk that he won't be up to speed quickly enough or that he might simply just not catch on while moving to the interior. That would then leave the likes of veterans Mike Caliendo, C.J. Hanson and perhaps even Hunter Nourzad to step into that role should that happen.
Those backup options leave a bit to be desired. In the postseason, Thuney was forced to push outside to left tackle and we got a good look at Caliendo, which was, to put it kindly, less than desireable. Meanwhile, Hanson and Nourzad have yet to break through in their own right. That's why Kansas City is looking at Suamataia.
OTAs and minicamp will be crucial for the Chiefs to fully diagnose the situation with replacing Thuney, though. Again, this is an All-Pro-caliber player who the Bears still believe is at that level and there is no clear direction for Kansas City go to do so right now. Frankly, if they get a look at Suamataia at guard before training camp and aren't convinced, it wouldn't be at all surprising to see the Chiefs explore the trade or free agent market for any options.
For Patrick Mahomes and Co., it's likely that the Chiefs are still going to keep winning and be among the AFC favorites regardless of what happens at left guard. At the same time, though, this is a franchise that has truly become Super Bowl-or-bust at this point. And how they replace Thuney could be the difference for this team between ending up in either of those two outcomes.