Arrowhead Pride
There are nine games in the books — with eight more to go. The Kansas City Chiefs are taking their bye week in Week 10, so it’s time to dish out some midseason awards.
10 Arrowhead Pride contributors voted to award seven midseason awards. In this post, we’ll reveal our most improved player to this point of the season.
The Arrowhead Pride staff voted nearly unanimously for left guard Kingsley Suamataia as 2025’s most improved player. Safety Bryan Cook deserves a shoutout for one vote, but for Suamataia, it has been a world of difference between the rookie season and this year.
After being selected 63rd overall in the 2024 NFL Draft, Suamataia was trusted to protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side from Day 1. His career as a starting left tackle lasted two starts; by Week 3, he had been replaced by swing tackle Wanya Morris due to performance. Later in his rookie year, Suamataia was called upon to man left tackle again in a battle with the Denver Broncos. He allowed a sack and three quarterbacks hits, further confirming Suamataia was not the answer on the left edge of the line.
Heading into 2025, the rumors of Suamataia moving inside to the guard position swirled early, solidifying when the Chiefs traded All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney to the Chicago Bears before free agency began. By the time summer workouts began, it was clear Suamataia was expected to start at left guard alongside rookie left tackle Joshua Simmons.
Through nine games, Suamataia is the Chiefs’ leader in offensive snaps. He has missed only two snaps this year, manning left guard for every serious snap the Chiefs’ offense has taken.
He has allowed the most pressures of any Chiefs’ offensive lineman, but only six of the 17 pressures have resulted in a hit on Mahomes. Furthermore, according to PFF, only one has resulted in a sack. He has been called for just one penalty, matching the number thrown on center Creed Humphrey this season.
He has been part of a group that ranks fourth in Pass Block Win Rate, a metric tracked by ESPN to measure the success of an offensive line in pass protection regardless of the result of the play.
The 22-year old Suamataia has flipped the script of his career over one offseason, and is showing notable improvement as the season continues. He deserves credit for a seamless transition from Thuney, who had proven to be one of the NFL’s best interior offensive linemen, and for being coachable enough to pick up a new position so early on in his professional career.
