That the Kansas City Chiefs will make some roster moves in the next week to upgrade problem spots is not a surprise. But according to Jesse Newell of The Athletic, the positional focus might be unexpected.
In his rundown of the close of Chiefs training camp, Newell predicts that the Chiefs will bolster the interior offensive line after watching the coaches' attempts to handle Trey Smith's prolonged absence in St. Joseph. Smith has missed two weeks of practice (and the preseason games scheduled around them) with a hip injury that forced him to seek a specialist.
To alleviate the concerns, head coach Andy Reid has emphasized multiple times that the injury is not considered a long-term issue. Since the Chiefs are still three weeks out from the start of the regular season, it feels safe to assume that Reid is counting on Smith to be his starting right guard when the team hosts the Denver Broncos in Week 1.
Jesse Newell of The Athletic is predicting a move for interior o-line help—and that in itself is a problem.
But Newell says that the use of Kahlil Benson and Jaylon Moore for first-team reps at right guard is a signal about the talent stocked behind Smith. The Chiefs also have Mike Caliendo returning on a one-year deal as well as Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson still on rookie deals, along with a few other rookie free agents like Pete Nygra and Josh Thompson. Newell concludes, "Don’t be surprised if the Chiefs look to upgrade this spot over the next few weeks."
Smith's injury is frustrating because it's kept the right tackle competition from feeling complete. Any new face on the right side will need some chemistry with Smith, but instead, both men have been pulled inside. Newell takes that as a statement about the interior backups, but perhaps it's more about keeping both of those tackles ready for first-team work while building versatility. The Chiefs know what they have in Caliendo. They're still learning what Benson can do, for example.
That said, Newell might be onto something when it comes to interior help. Smith signed a long-term extension early in 2025 after having never missed a single start in his four-year career to that point. Last season, however, Smith missed five games to injury and is now missing time in the preseason. If there's a concern that a substitute might log some real playing time, Caliendo's ceiling has shown itself to be rather low in previous seasons.
The frustration here is that Nourzad and Hanson haven't blossomed into obvious answers here. The Chiefs used two draft picks on interior linemen in the 2023 NFL Draft and yet Caliendo continues to be the primary lineman called upon to sub in at multiple positions, even as it's clear that he's a temporary measure at best. Perhaps that's why the Chiefs are keen to see if Nygra can be something once he works out the jitters in his first preseason action.
Free agents like Andre James or Will Hernandez are still out there for interested teams. Perhaps Andrew Voorhees of the Baltimore Ravens or Jake Andrews of the Houston Texans will shake free. But it's frustrating that the Chiefs have to think about replenishing a new position when there are others that are also in need of clear upgrades.
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