Donovan Smith did not play last season, but the Chiefs did not effectively replace their Super Bowl LVIII starting left tackle. Kansas City started four players at the position last season, eventually seeing their setup unravel on the biggest stage.
The Eagles’ dismantling of the Chiefs checked in as more alarming than the AFC power’s Super Bowl LV loss to the Buccaneers. Kansas City’s 2020 edition had lost both its starting tackles (Eric Fisher, Mitchell Schwartz) by the time Shaq Barrett and Co. teed off on backups; they came into Super Bowl LIX with their starting O-line, only to see it fail to hold up against a smothering Eagles rush. The Chiefs moved from Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris and D.J. Humphries to finally Joe Thuney at LT. Thuney’s run of capable work on the outside did not lead to him holding up against Philly, and the Chiefs have made moves to address the position once again.
John Lynch expressed surprise when the Chiefs gave 49ers swing tackle Jaylon Moore a two-year deal worth $15MM on average, but the three-time reigning AFC champs have him tentatively slated to start at left tackle to begin next season. Thuney’s departure via trade, following the Trey Smith franchise tag, will free up a spot for Suamataia; the 2024 second-round pick will attempt to find his footing at guard. Moore’s deal may wind up being a solution, but the Chiefs are believed to be looking into trading up for a tackle.
Kansas City is actively looking to find a first-round trade partner, according to ESPN.com’s Matt Miller, who identifies tackle as the position the Chiefs are primarily targeting. Moving ahead of the Texans (No. 25) and Rams (26) is a factor here, Miller adds, if a specific LT prospect remains on the board. As the Super Bowl loser, the Chiefs hold the No. 31 overall pick in a historically rare first round in which every team (for now) carries its own first-round selection.
Will Campbell and Missouri prospect Armand Membou, whom teams view more as a right tackle and a potential guard, are expected to be long gone by this trade range. No other tackles slot inside the top 30 on Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board, which places Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. at 31st, Ohio State’s Josh Simmons 37th and Oregon’s Josh Conerly Jr. 39th. Donovan Jackson kicked outside to tackle to replace an injured Simmons last season, but he is viewed more as a guard — where he played exclusively from 2022-23 — in the pros. North Dakota State’s Gray Zabel, as our Ely Allen pointed out in his mock draft, has the ability to shift outside. He is also, however, seen first as an interior blocker at the NFL level. The Chiefs met with Simmons last week.
The Chiefs giving Moore $15MM per year, after 12 career starts, effectively indicates they are done with Suamataia and Morris as viable LT starter options. The team going after a tackle in Round 1 also makes sense when its RT situation is considered. Penalty maven Jawaan Taylor has not lived up to his $20MM-AAV deal, but the contract included a rolling guarantee structure that locked in the ex-Jaguar’s 2025 salary in March 2024. The Chiefs, though, can move on from Taylor cleanly following the 2025 season. They will need a right tackle starter in that likely event. Adding a tackle early in this draft could cover multiple bases for the team, one that has a notable recent history of trading up in Round 1 (Patrick Mahomes, Trent McDuffie, Xavier Worthy).
