Chiefs QB Mahomes could have new blindside protector vs. Chargers

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes could have a new blindside protector when he faces the Chargers on Sunday night.

Kansas City coach Andy Reid said Monday he was leaving open the possibility that former Pro Bowl left tackle D.J. Humphries, who is coming off an ACL injury and just signed with the team last week, could start against Los Angeles. The news came three days after the position was a mess in a win over the Raiders that came down to the wire.

“If he feels OK, then we give him an opportunity. If it's not where it needs to be, then you don't,” Reid said on a Zoom call.

The Chiefs drafted Kingsley Suamataia in the second round in April in the hopes that he would handle the left tackle job. But he proved to be overmatched in his first two starts, and the Chiefs tried second-year pro Wanya Morris at the position instead.

But along with penalty issues, Morris also has been routinely beaten by opposing pass rushers. And after one particularly poor stretch in Friday's 19-17 win over Las Vegas, Reid and Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Hecht made the relatively drastic decision to move All-Pro guard Joe Thuney out to tackle and insert Mike Caliendo at the guard position.

If Humphries is not ready for the Chargers, Reid said, that lineup also could be an option Sunday night.

“I'd rather have Joe playing in at guard because he's very good there,” Reid admitted, “but Caliendo isn't bad either. That's a good problem we have. We have some flexibility there as needed.”

What the Chiefs need is someone to slow down the pass rush. Mahomes has been sacked 32 times, tied coincidentally with his Chargers counterpart Justin Herbert for seventh most in the NFL. And he has been under more duress of late, getting sacked five times each of the past two games and at least four times in four of the past five.

“Listen, we've got young guys that we're working in there. The growth — they're going against good players, and the good ones have gotten the better of us,” Reid said. “But it's things these guys will learn from and they can bank for the future.”

In the meantime, Humphries brings eight years of experience and 98 starts with Arizona to the table. Three years ago, he was voted to the Pro Bowl, though last season was cut short when he tore his left ACL late in a game against the Eagles.

He spent the summer and first part of the season rehabbing the injury and only recently was cleared to play.

“It's been interesting,” Humphries said. “You find out stuff about yourself when you go through stuff like that. I knew I was a tough guy already, but like, having to go through those things, getting those — ‘Man, you had such a great career, what a run’ — like, those texts were really trying for me. Like, damn, people just assuming it's over because I'm hurt.”

Humphries said those text messages served as motivation to tackle the rehab process following surgery.

“Everybody gets hurt at some point and you bounce back and get through it,” he said, “so that wasn't ever really in my mind. But just the response and how people perceived what was going on — that caught me off guard.”

The Cardinals released Humphries in March to save salary cap space, and while he was initially concerned how the news would go down with his kids, his oldest son — 8-year-old Dash — never hesitated with what became a prophetic reply.

“He said, ‘I really want you to go to Kansas City so you can play with Patrick Mahomes and maybe win a Super Bowl,’” Humphries said. “His mind was, ‘You should go to the Chiefs.’”

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