As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to enter the 2024 NFL postseason with eyes on Super Bowl LIX, Andy Reid has a looming personnel decision that could have major implications during the playoffs.

The Chiefs have struggled to find a solution at left tackle all season, starting four players at the position. They kicked things off with rookie OT Kingsley Suamataia, but he only lasted two games before the team replaced him with second-year OT Wanya Morris. That decision lasted for 10 games before Morris was replaced by veteran free agent signing D.J. Humphries, who had been cleared late in the year from a 2023 ACL injury. Humphries was rushed into action, and at the end of his first start, he suffered a hamstring injury that knocked him out for the toughest stretch of the season, when the Chiefs played three games in 11 days. 

Kansas City turned to All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney in their time of need, kicking him out to left tackle and playing third-year OL Mike Caliendo at left guard. The move was an act of desperation, a hail mary based on one game of Thuney filling in for Orlando Brown Jr., but it ultimately worked out for the team. Thuney and Caliendo were the stabilizing force on the offensive line that helped the offense through a gauntlet where they faced pass-rushing stars like Myles Garrett, TJ Watt, Danielle Hunter, and Will Anderson. 

Thuney allowed no sacks of Patrick Mahomes and just 14 pressures during that span, according to Pro Football Focus. Most of the pressures came in the second half of Week 15 against the Browns’ Garrett, who might well be the best edge rusher in the NFL this season. As for Caliendo, he did his best Thuney impression, allowing just seven pressures per PFF. It was the first multi-game stretch where the Chiefs’ left tackle didn’t allow a sack since Week 3 and Week 4. 

It all begs the question: Do the Chiefs stick with what’s been working, using the combination of Thuney and Caliendo for the playoffs, or do they go with a potentially healthy Humphries? 

“I’m gonna play it kind of by ear as we go here,” Reid told reporters on Monday. “I’ve been happy with (Mike) Caliendo and how he’s played. I’ve been happy with Joe (Thuney) and how he’s played. I appreciate them jumping in and keeping the level of play up. So, I’m curious to see where D.J. (Humphries) is at and if he can do anything. So, I mean, I just want to see where we’re at, and I’ll evaluate that as we go down the stretch here.” 

This decision is reminiscent of the one that former Chiefs HC Marty Schottenheimer faced over two decades ago. During the 1997 season, backup QB Rich Gannon filled in for an injured starter in Elvis Grbac. Gannon started six games in Grbac’s place from Week 10 through Week 16 and went 5-1 during that span, leading Kansas City to a 13-3 overall record and an AFC West division title. Sounds like a peachy situation, right?  Chiefs fans know how it all turned out, though. In the divisional round of the playoffs against the Denver Broncos, Schottenheimer elected to go back to a now-healthy Grbac, and the Chiefs lost the game 14-10.

Obviously, there’s some nuance here that simply can’t be compared, but it all boils down to whether Reid should stick with what has been working or go back to Humphries. He does have a 60-snap sample size of what Humphries’ play at left tackle looks like against a playoff team with his performance against the Los Angeles Chargers back in Week 14.

Ultimately, the decision might already be made for Reid. It’s still to be determined whether Humphries is healthy enough and looks good enough in practice to start a mid-January playoff game.

“He’s doing good,” Reid said of Humphries. “I can’t make you any promise. I want to get him out to practice and kind of see where we’re at, but he is doing good in his rehab part. That’s different than being on the field, so I like to just see how he does there.”

Reid’s path forward will be determined by the practice week during Week 18 and the following week during the Chiefs’ upcoming first-round playoff bye. His decision must be monitored, as it could be the difference between Mahomes receiving the protection he needs or not. If history tells us anything, Reid might be wise to learn from Schottenheimer and go with what has been working for his team, even if that means sitting a veteran player with dozens of starts at left tackle.