For a hot second, the door was open for two of the Kansas City Chiefs' unproven linemen. A few days after the start of free agency, it was shut once again.
Hunter Nourzad and C,J. Hanson are both young interior offensive linemen who entered the National Football League as prospects. Two seasons later, the word is still attached. The Chiefs have kept around both linemen as role players on the depth chart, yet they remain untested despite being halfway through their rookie contracts already.
When the Chiefs sunk two late-round choices into the selections of Nourzad and Hanson, it made sense that they might clear a path for them to gain some reserve reps. Yet those snaps have been hard to come by, mostly due to the presence of Mike Caliendo in front of them. Over the last two years, Caliendo has served as the next man up in case of injuries or need at both left guard (after Joe Thuney slid outside in 2024) or right guard (when Trey Smith battled ankle sprains).
This spring, the Chiefs decided against tendering a qualifying offer to Caliendo as a restricted free agent. The slotted price tag of $3.5 million was a bit lofty for the services rendered, and so Caliendo had a chance to hit the open market for the first time. On Saturday, despite getting "numerous offers" from other interested teams, the Chiefs brought back Caliendo on a one-year deal to keep him around.
Just like that, Nourzad and Hanson found themselves staring up at the same old obstacles coming into their third year. And for the Chiefs, it's another round of the same names without cycling through talent and lower-cost options.
The doors in front of C.J. Hanson and Hunter Nourzad have opened and closed quicker than anyone could have predicted.
Nourzad was the team's fifth-round selection out of Penn State, who arrived as the more pro-ready product, with 24 starts to his credit with the Nittany Lions. Hanson was the upside play, a small-school graduate of Holy Cross taken in the seventh round as a flyer with the potential to grow into a similar role as Caliendo.
What's interesting is that the Chiefs seem to still like both players. Former day three picks are released every week in the NFL, so it wouldn't surprise anyone to see Hanson or Nourzad given the pink slip for the sake of younger competitors. Yet for two years, both players have staved off the competition to remain in the mix.
On the other hand, Caliendo is still apparently in play because, as much as K.C. might think of Hanson and/or Nourzad, neither has proven capable of keeping Caliendo from taking the reps. That's interesting because, on the surface, the ceiling is pretty low with Caliendo. He provides a known floor that minimizes mistakes, but no one is barking about his pro potential either.
Both Hanson and Nourzad were able to play in the final game of their rookie seasons in 2024 when Andy Reid decided to rest his starters. Nourzad got more time this past season with 16 snaps in a blowout win over the Raiders at midseason and again at season's end in a meaningless Week 18 contest.
The Chiefs see what's happening behind the scenes in practice and offseason camps, so they clearly saw the need for Caliendo to return for another year. Perhaps there will be some real competition for slots behind the starters up front, or maybe it will be the same old pecking order once again. But at the start of free agency, it's a bit of a shock to see Caliendo back in front of two players who are clearly good enough to stick but not productive enough to move up.