Concussion mystery around Kingsley Suamataia is Chiefs' latest frustration

The Kansas City Chiefs aren't the most encouraging franchise in the NFL these days, but Kingsley Suamataia's development into a solid starter at left guard has been one bright spot. For Week 12, however, Suamataia's status is one of the bigger concerns.

Suamataia's health has been overshadowed in the aftermath of such a frustrating loss for the Chiefs, having slipped further away from the playoff picture after a 22-19 defeat at Denver. K.C. is now 5-5 and looking up at a 3.5 game deficit in the AFC West. They're also sinking further in the AFC, as nearly every other contender owns the favored side of a tie-breaker scenario.

But going into Week 12, the spotlight should be back on Suamataia. The second-year offensive lineman suffered a head injury against the Broncos and was helped to the sideline. The team announced that they'd placed Suamataia in the NFL's concussion protocol, but so far, no updates have been provided.

Chiefs sideline reporter Josh Klingler provided more context to Kingsley Suamataia's head injury even as fans are still waiting on official updates.

Chiefs sideline reporter Josh Klingler described the scene for 96.5 The Fan following the game, which at least brought more context and clarity to what happened in the moment.

"[Suamataia] got knocked on that interception, when everybody was trying to stop the interception. His head hit the turf, and he was down. They had to help him—I mean, help him—off the field. He’s a big fella, right? So he had two guys helping him back toward the locker room," said Klingler. "They did end up putting him in the concussion protocol, and then he was taken out of the locker room as the media were leaving on a stretcher."

"He did travel back with the team, but I’m guessing he’s going to have a bunch of further evaluations, and you know how those things go. I wouldn’t count on this upcoming week, if indeed that’s the concussion protocol portion of it, because he didn’t look all that great."

Klingler is right to believe that the Chiefs are going to move forward with Mike Caliendo at left guard. The only responsible approach for the Chiefs' training staff is to allow Suamataia plenty of time to recover and for subsequent days to make sure any early positive results continue to trend in the right direction.

The Chiefs selected Suamataia in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft with the hope of making him their left tackle after he'd held the same post at BYU. He lasted only two games in the role before getting a quick hook as the Chiefs transitioned to Wanya Morris. Suamataia sat on the bench for the rest of the season, but slid inside to guard in a meaningless 17th game versus Denver that showed he might be the answer there.

Suamataia's ability to handle the role in a short stint helped inform the Chiefs' plan to trade Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears last spring, a move that allowed them to lock up right guard Trey Smith with a long-term contract. However, it wasn't until the regular season began that Kansas City knew whether or not Suamataia would be able to handle the responsibilities.

After 10 games, Suamataia has made it clear that he's the answer at left guard going forward for the next couple of years. Pro Football Focus agrees, with Suamataia ranked as their No. 28 guard in the NFL this season. In the interim, however, the Chiefs are going to lean on Mike Caliendo while hoping Suamataia gets a clean bill of health.