The Chiefs selected left tackle Kingsley Suamataia in the second round earlier this year, setting him up to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
But head coach Andy Reid benched the rookie during the fourth quarter of Kansas City’s eventual 26-25 victory over Cincinnati, replacing him with backup Wanya Morris.
During his Monday news conference, Reid said he hasn’t decided whether or not Suamataia will be back on the field for the Chiefs’ Week 3 matchup against the Falcons.
“Yeah, I haven’t gone that direction yet as far as [being] the starter or not [being] the starter, but he’s got — he’s obviously got things he needs to work on and get worked out,” Reid said. “Like I said last night, I felt like we needed to take a step back to take a step forward. Whether he’s in or out, I still think that was the right thing to do there and if he’s out this week, then it’ll be the right thing to do with that.
“We haven’t lost confidence in him and that he was going against a good player, and he’s got to learn from it. I think he mentioned that to you. He’s got to take it in and get better and I would tell you that with some of our young guys that played last night. They’ve got to just learn from the experiences that they get in these games.”
If Suamataia is back in the lineup for Week 3, he’ll face another tough test in Falcons edge rusher Matthew Judon. Kansas City will be in Georgia to play Atlanta on Sunday Night Football.
