Three unsung heroes on the Kansas City Chiefs offense line
By Matt Conner
Joe Thuney
It feels weird to say that a guy who is set to get paid $85 million over the course of five seasons is someone overlooked or underappreciated, but that’s the nature of being an interior lineman—or at least it’s true of Joe Thuney.
For those who’ve been watching closely all season, Thuney has been exactly what the Chiefs needed this season for myriad reasons. When they lost a pillar of a leader in Mitchell Schwartz, they found a new ironman in Thuney, a man who played with a broken hand and still kept moving the chains on offense. At a carousel of a position at left guard, the Chiefs upgraded to a Pro Bowl level player. And his versatility has come in handy in recent weeks with the injuries at left tackle.
The Chiefs have watched Thuney serve as a teammate and mentor to help shepherd rookie interior linemen to play like elite veterans. He’s been a complete professional on and off the field. He’s also been overlooked when another round of Pro Bowl announcements was made earlier this winter.
Even if others continue to overshadow his play on a national level, Chiefs Kingdom knows just how fortunate they are to have him after watching his weekly heroics this year. A very smart acquisition for Brett Veach.