Sunday was the first live NFL action for all of the Kansas City Chiefs' 2023 rookies. While there were expectations for all of them, the one player that caught many fans’ eyes was Wanya Morris. The third-round pick played the most snaps of anyone on the roster throughout the game and was asked to play both left and right tackle. With the new tackles the Chiefs added this offseason, Morris isn’t going to be asked to start this year. With that said, Sunday gave Kansas City a glimpse of what Morris is now and can grow into in the future.
On the top, showing the flexibility to switch from left tackle to right tackle during the game is extremely impressive. Offensive linemen will consistently argue that it's harder to flip sides than an outsider would think. The difference in stance, weight distribution, role in the offense and more are all significant. It makes it challenging to transition sides, let alone multiple times during a game. Morris made it look seamless in his first NFL action, proving his ability to be the swing tackle for the Chiefs this season.
While Morris showed the ability to switch ends on the offensive line, he definitely looked more comfortable on the right than on the left. That shouldn’t surprise anyone, though. He started his collegiate career at Tennessee playing left tackle but began to struggle so when he transferred to Oklahoma, he played solely right tackle — propelling him into being a top 100 pick in the draft. However, even though Morris hasn’t had the best showing at left tackle throughout his career, it hasn’t deterred the Chiefs from trying him there and allowing him to strengthen his ability.
Now transitioning to the specifics of Morris’s play on the field. His athletic ability showed in his play. He looked extremely smooth and comfortable getting out of his stance. In pass sets, he looked explosive when he kick-stepped to cover up the arc. In the run game, he moved and quickly got out into space. He got tripped up a few times and lost his balance but when he could move cleanly, his athleticism showed. This happened especially on reach blocks in the run game. Whenever he had to catch a defender from the guard passing it off, he was able to do so and allow the guard to advance to the next level of the defense.
Something that challenges any offensive lineman, but especially rookies in the NFL, is picking up twists and stunts from the opposing defensive line. Morris showed off his ability to process what the defense throws at him and respond. He smoothly passed them off to the guard beside him while picking up the loop around the edge. Showing that this early in his career is extremely promising, especially considering the pass-heavy offense the Chiefs have.
Most of what Morris showed on Sunday was positive, but there is still room for improvement. There were times when the rookie lost his technique and had some snaps where he solely relied on his athletic ability. Most of these miscues happened when he was lined up as the left tackle, portraying his lack of complete comfort at that spot. You could see him stop his feet too early in the play and sometimes needing to get deeper on his sets. The good thing is that those are easily correctable, and offensive line coach Andy Heck should be fully trusted to maximize his talent.
Overall, Wanya Morris’s NFL “debut” was very positive. Some signs point towards him being a starting tackle in the future and, at minimum, being a high-level swing tackle throughout his professional career. Now that he's dipped his feet in the water, the third-round pick needs to continue stacking good games during the rest of the preseason to officially lock down that sixth offensive lineman spot for the 2023 season.
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