NEW ORLEANS -- The Kansas City Chiefs moving All-Pro guard Joe Thuney out to left tackle to plug the struggles on the outside has received plenty of attention ahead of Super Bowl LIX versus the Philadelphia Eagles. Less notice has gone to the man who replaced Thuney.
Who is Mike Caliendo?
A Wisconsin native, Caliendo went undrafted out of Western Michigan in 2022. The Chiefs signed him as a free agent. Released as part of final roster cuts, Caliendo latched on to the practice squad, where he spent the season toiling in anonymity for a Super Bowl winner. In 2023, he made the 53-man roster out of camp but spent the bulk of the season either inactive or on special teams -- 57 of his 64 offensive snaps came in a Week 18 game in which K.C. rested its starters.
The 2024 season started much the same, with Caliendo playing a special teams role and little else -- a 5-yard tackle-eligible catch for a first down against Buffalo being the highlight.
Then Week 15 hit.
Wham, Caliendo went from an unknown reserve to smack dab in the middle of a Lombardi chase. He started the first three games of his career down the stretch of the 2024 regular season and both playoff games.
Now he's playing in the biggest game of his life on Sunday as the Chiefs chase a first-ever three-peat.
"Yeah, definitely some nerves. I think if you didn't have them, there'd probably be something wrong with you playing in a game like this," Caliendo told NFL.com this week. "I just continue to trust the process in my daily work and showing up on a daily basis trying to change my best. And then all those days have stacked up, and it led me to this week and this opportunity on Sunday."
It's an opportunity Thuney says his young understudy is ready for.
"He's just a guy that's always been preparing the right way, always been getting his body and mind right throughout, you know, a couple years leading up to this," Thuney said. "He's always been ready, and, you know, he just does everything the right way, practices hard, he's always in the facility, gets in the playbook, knows the playbook inside and out, so, you know, so happy for him."
Shuffling the offensive line isn't new for Andy Reid's squad. In last year's Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers, Thuney was out with a pectoral injury, thrusting Nick Allegretti into the starting lineup.
"Nick was in a similar situation as I am last year," Caliendo said of Allegretti, who's now with the Washington Commanders. "And just the way he prepared, even when he wasn't starting, I learned from that. And so, starting out on the practice squad, I was preparing as if I was the starter from day one. And all those things put together prepared me for this, and I just got to trust that."
Going against the likes of All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones in practice for years didn't hurt either.
"Majority of the time, I've been on the look team, the scout team, going against Chris and (Tershawn Wharton) and Mike Pennel and all those guys," Caliendo said. "I know there's no better group than that to prepare you for playing on Sundays."
Even as they continue to stack Super Bowl runs, the Chiefs' offensive line has gone through massive changes over three years. Orlando Brown and Andrew Wylie left after 2022. K.C. imported Jawaan Taylor at right tackle and Donovan Smith on the left side in 2023 and dealt with the Thuney injury. The team started the 2024 season with two youngsters -- rookie Kingsley Suamataia and Wanya Morris -- battling for the starting LT gig before eventually scrapping that plan to move Thuney outside.
The seemingly constant shuffling is old hat for offensive line coach Andy Heck and his crew.
"It brings a new challenge, but it always feels like, at the end of the day, we're going to need every guy in this room," Heck said. "When we start in OTAs, we preach that. When we train in training camp, we cross-train and plug guys in. We preach that, and then it usually bears out. Whether it's Mike Caliendo, who's in a reserve role, having to step in and start games throughout the playoffs
"Sliding Joe out, I couldn't have anticipated that, but we're prepared for that. And so, it didn't seem hectic, because the guys are ready for it, they're unflappable, (general manager) Brett Veach has done a great job, Coach Reid, forming on roster, those kind of guys, team-first guys."
The change hasn't been seamless.
The interior took a hit by moving Thuney outside, with the run game struggling over the past few weeks. Moving an All-Pro guard would always come with some risk, but the unsettled left tackle spot needed to be plugged. It's easier to get replacement-level aid inside than on the blind-side island.
Kansas City allowed 35 sacks (2.7 per game) in Weeks 1-14. After the move, it allowed 11 sacks (1.8 per game) since Week 15, including playoffs -- five of which came in Week 18 when the starters rested.
Caliendo has given up his share of pressers -- a team-high 22 in 193 pass-block snaps since Week 15, per Next Gen Stats -- but every Chiefs player or coach glowed about how the former undrafted free agent has battled since being thrust into the fire.
"I'm so proud of Mike. He's done a tremendous job," assistant OL coach Corey Matthaei, who has been with the Chiefs for 12 seasons, said. "All of a sudden, he's going up against Cameron Heyward. And I mean, in that game, I mean, those guys weren't switching left and right. He had Cam Heyward. I'm like, we're talking about, you know, Mike going up against a future Hall of Famer here. And he did a great job, you know."
According to NGS, Caliendo allowed three QB pressures in Week 17 versus the Steelers.
"He gets his shot, he does a good job, and you can see his confidence build every week, and now he gets an opportunity to do it through the playoffs and then at the biggest stage here," Matthaei added. "So, I mean, can't say more about him. He's done a great job. I'm proud of everything he's accomplished, and I can't wait to get to see him go do this."
As an undrafted player making his sixth career start, there is little denying that Caliendo is the weakest link in the O-line heading into Sunday. However, both Heck and Thuney dismissed to NFL.com any notion that they've discussed moving the All-Pro back to guard to face Eagles stud Jalen Carter this week.
"No, not really. Not that I was a part of any way," Heck said. "I mean, certainly [Carter] is a great challenge in there, and you know their entire defensive line is a great challenge, so I think you start with, well, what do we need to do to function as an offense, and so there was little thought to kind of upsetting the apple cart."
Perhaps if Carter is wrecking the interior, that plan might change mid-game. Heading into Sunday, however, the Chiefs are banking on a former undrafted player to solidify the line in front of Mahomes.
"I just got to trust myself, trust my teammates, and we'll play together, and we'll let the chips fall where they may," Caliendo said.
If those chips fall Caliendo's way, K.C. and the undrafted guard will be celebrating a third straight championship.