Entering the 2024 campaign, the Kansas City Chiefs have an interesting duality in regard to their offensive line. The interior is perhaps tops in the NFL, but both tackle positions come with plenty of question marks to consider.

Where does that leave Andy Heck’s position group? Just outside the top five in football, according to a recent list.

In an article for The 33rd Team, Ross Tucker ranked all 32 offensive lines across football. Taking home the No. 6 spot are the back-to-back reigning champs, with a projected starting five of Kingsley Suamataia, Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith and Jawaan Taylor. Tucker remains quite confident in the interior guard-center-guard trio, but he also is a bit unsure about the caliber of left and right tackle starters.

“The Kansas City Chiefs have the league’s best interior trio led by personal favorite Trey Smith, who is one of the NFL’s best finishers,” Tucker wrote. “Now, they need someone to step up and take the left tackle spot plus RT Jawaan Taylor to play close to his contract.”

Aug 9, 2021; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive guard Joe Thuney (62) and center Creed Humphrey (52) block during training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

This ranking puts the Chiefs in the “above average tier,” accompanied by five other clubs. Only the Detroit Lions’ front five is deemed elite by Tucker. Kansas City’s ranking is mostly consistent with other outlets’ takes, as Pro Football Focus put the Chiefs just one rung lower on the ladder earlier this offseason.

In the last couple of weeks, there’s been an update on Suamataia and Taylor. Following Friday’s training camp practice, Reid praised the rookie’s progress.

“He’s worked in with those starters, and he’s doing a nice job there,” Reid said. “He’s working, number one, hard, on the things we’re trying to teach him. There are a lot of new things that he’s working, and he’s playing aggressive and getting better every day. He’s not taking steps back, which is important. He’s getting to go against good players, which also is important, and competing there.”

Late last month, Taylor said he’s feeling “pretty comfortable” now in Kansas City and explained that one of his main offseason focuses was conditioning.

“Really, man, just cardio,” Taylor said. “I make sure I do a lot of cardio in the offseason. Lifting, I do a lot of that too but mainly just making sure I’m in shape [and] being able to go those long games and play a lot of plays. We throw the ball a lot here, so making sure you’re in shape is always good.”

The fact that the Chiefs’ projected starting offensive line is ranked sixth in the NFL despite 40% of it being so far from elite is a testament to how reliable Thuney, Humphrey and Smith are. Even if Suamataia doesn’t become the starter, it isn’t like Wanya Morris is a sure thing. While Taylor is showing signs of improvement during the offseason, there’s no guarantee that things will translate to the regular season.

Nevertheless, as Tucker mentioned during his intro, the situation a line is playing in must also be taken into account. With Reid calling the shots and Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, things don’t get much more favorable. Together, the two are excellent at contributing to sack avoidance and putting the line in good positions to succeed. That, in and of itself, likely helped boost Kansas City’s ranking.

Already regarded as good, can the Chiefs’ protectors ascend to great this season? The answer will soon be revealed.