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Wanya Morris is anticipated to start at left tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs as they continue to get ready for the Los Angeles Chargers. When the season started, that wasn’t on many people’s bingo cards, but after just two games in the regular season, rookie Kingsley Suamataia was benched.

Although head coach Andy Reid stated before the team’s Week 3 game against the Atlanta Falcons that both players would get opportunities to see the field, the change isn’t thought to be permanent. That proved to be accurate, albeit not in the way that some had anticipated. Suamataia was a late addition to the line and only made a few incorrect line-ups during the game. Morris played the entire game in the starting position and did a rather decent job of it.

With Week 4 approaching, how is the left tackle competition going? Is it even a war these days? Matt Nagy, the offensive coordinator, gave some background on Thursday morning.

It’s a really good question, Nagy remarked. “Ideally, one of those people should be able to just step in and take control. The interesting thing about this, in my opinion, is that these guys will have opportunities as they go through that right now. Wanya can still get better even though he performed well last week.

Kingsley needs to take the same action. It belongs in this league. Competition and injury are real threats, so you need to be ready at all times. As coaches, it is our responsibility to ensure that we are growing them every day of the week, Monday through Saturday. We have to make sure that we’re developing these guys; we can’t just sit there. This applies to all players, not just O-line players. What are we doing to try to turn them into a starter if they aren’t one already?”

Morris performed admirably in Atlanta, so it’s difficult to imagine him not getting another chance in the future. Pro Football Focus reports that the former third-round selection gave up only two pressures while recording a 65.6 pass blocking grade. Although the rookie’s performance against quarterback Patrick Mahomes was far from flawless, it was a significant improvement over Suamataia’s in Week 2.

For the moment at least, Suamataia is now the one on the outside looking in. More often than not, it was the Cincinnati Bengals’ loss rather than his own doing that led to the previously mentioned victory. The second-round selection gave up several pressures, two sacks, and two penalties on 27 opportunities. When he was positioned across from Trey Hendrickson, he appeared to be absolutely outmatched, and in the fourth quarter, Morris replaced him on the bench.

However, as Nagy pointed out, at this point, injuries and competition are frequently unavoidable. Go no farther than the previous campaign, when rookie Morris was required to substitute for Donovan Smith multiple times in a row. Another instance is the first race this spring and summer between Morris and Suamataia, which the former lost due to his inability to stay fit. One practice rep or one snap during a game is all it takes for things to alter.

As Nagy stated, Kansas City needs to maintain both players’ focus and prepare them as though they are starting.