Andy Reid brought in former Eagles legend to mentor Chiefs offensive tackles

It was 11 years into his head coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles that Andy Reid ever had to worry about left tackle.

Coming into his first post as a franchise's leader in the National Football League, the Eagles had at least gifted Reid with one prized asset coming into his tenure in the form of left tackle Tra Thomas. The Eagles had selected Thomas in the first round at No. 11 overall in the season before Reid's arrival, the head coach would enjoy Thomas as his blindside protector for the next decade.

These days, the Chiefs have so few spots to worry about on the roster—a strong reason why they're positioned as a yearly Super Bowl contender. One of those roster concerns, however, is left tackle, a place where the Chiefs have tried and tried to find something that works sustainably after Eric Fisher's career-altering injury suffered during the 2020 season.

The Chiefs are bringing in some alternate voices to help out Morris and Suamataia.

These days, the Chiefs are hoping someone will make the leap forward in their personal development and claim the starting left tackle role for good among two primary young players: Wanya Morris and Kingsley Suamataia.

The Chiefs selected Morris in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma and followed suit with the choice of Suamataia in the second round in 2024. Together they give the Chiefs their best chances of finding a long-term fixture with two high-level draft investments involved in the competition.

To help both prospects get to the next level, Reid recently turned to a familiar face, one he learned to lean on heavily in Philly. According to Jon Gruden, a good friend of Reid's and a longtime NFL head coach himself, Reid and his coaching staff (including line coach Andy Heck) brought Thomas in to help Suamataia and Morris to further develop their technique.

Who knows just how high the floor or ceiling will go for either young tackle, but bringing in someone like Tra Thomas, who started 168 games at the same position with 3 Pro Bowls to his credit, isn't the worst idea.