We’ve been talking about Mike Caliendo’s role on the Chiefs all wrong

How you feel about Mike Caliendo will depend on the way the conversation is framed—and that's a shame.

This preseason, Caliendo is going to be given the chance to compete for starting reps at left guard in the wake of Joe Thuney's departure from the Kansas City Chiefs. In place of the perennial All-Pro, Andy Reid says the team is turning to a competition primarily between Caliendo and Kingsley Suamataia for the chance to line up to the left of Creed Humphrey.

Most Chiefs fans will likely assume that Suamataia will end up winning that battle, and perhaps that's fair. Caliendo's body of work hasn't exactly screamed long-term starter, and there's a reason why he's not the automatic replacement for Thuney when he held down that exact position for the last six games that mattered in 2024 (a meaningless Week 18 game versus the Denver Broncos).

The conversation around Mike Caliendo's value to the Chiefs is all in the way you frame it.

In fact, just to drill down on the quick disclaimer before saying what I really want to say, the eye test and Pro Football Focus metrics say the same thing about Caliendo in a starting role. Some solid efforts were put up in a couple of games, especially against the Cleveland Browns in his first starting reps in Week 15. From there, however, things could get ugly.

Caliendo finished with an abysmal 44.8 overall grade as a lineman from PFF in his 410 snaps last season. The results felt visceral watching the Chiefs offense implode against the Philadelphia Eagles' pressure up front in Super Bowl LIX. That places him at No. 73 among guards in the NFL last season.

But here's where the framing becomes important regarding Caliendo: it was hard to look good in that game for anyone. Multiple linemen took their lumps. The entire offense struggled for most of the game, and things spiraled out of control quickly.

Here's another important note regarding this whole framing of Caliendo subject: he still remains an unearthed gem and an impressive find despite the shadow of that late season run.

The Chiefs found Caliendo as an undrafted free agent out of Western Michigan back in 2022 and he worked his way up from the practice squad to the active roster in 23, appearing in 8 games. Last season, he became an important backup along the interior and even started 3 games of his 17 appearances. His emergence allowed the Chiefs to replace Nick Allegretti with an internal development.

That Caliendo has beaten out competition on the depth chart over three consecutive summers as a former rookie free agent is quite commendable. That he's become trusted enough for Andy Reid to mention him among potential competitors for the starting left guard role is too. These sorts of role players, these sorts of fringe roster finds, are vital for teams to remain competitive in terms of depth of talent and financial flexibility.

Not to take a cheap shot at Skyy Moore, but it warrants a mention that the Chiefs grabbed two rookies out of Western Michigan in their 2022 rookie class and it's Caliendo that has amounted to so much more than their second-round choice. He might not be the next great starter inside next to Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith, but Caliendo deserves credit for blossoming all the same. It's all in the way you frame it.