Ranking the 10 best KC Chiefs players from 2022

The Kansas City Chiefs are again champions thanks to their thrilling victory over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. The team was led by their dynamic offense but was loaded with talent across the entire roster.

The 2022-23 Chiefs had seven players named to the Pro Bowl and six earned first or second All-Pro team nods. Kansas City was tied with Philadelphia and San Francisco for most players named to one of the two All-Pro teams; plus they were the only team in the AFC with more than three.

Given the successful season and the amount of talent on the roster, let’s go ahead and rank the ten best players from the 2022-23 Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Note: These rankings are not adjusted for positional value.

Honorable Mention: Trent McDuffie, Cornerback

As the first of ten players selected in the Chiefs’ 2022 draft class, there was a lot of pressure on cornerback Trent McDuffie to have a strong rookie campaign. Although he had a less-than-ideal beginning to the season, missing six games with a hamstring injury, McDuffie played very well when he was on the field. He allowed the lowest reception % among every cornerback on the team and also forced two fumbles, including one on the very first play of the Super Bowl (that landed out of bounds). He wasn’t without his struggles as he gave up four passing touchdowns and a 100.3 passer rating but there is little doubt that he was the second most reliable cornerback on a team that won the Super Bowl.

10. Orlando Brown Jr., Left Tackle

It feels safe to say that no player on the team has more of a love-hate relationship with fans than left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. After being acquired from Baltimore in the 2021 offseason, many expected him to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside for the foreseeable future. At times throughout his Kansas City tenure, he’s been excellent, but inconsistency has been his main issue for the past two years.

In 2023, he had a difficult start to the season, allowing seven sacks/quarterback hits in the first eight games of the season. He allowed seven sacks/QB hits in the final twelve games. It’s possible that some of his struggles this season can be attributed to the fact that he arrived at training camp late due to a short-lived holdout.

Once Brown found his stride in 2022, he was excellent. It’s not easy to play left tackle when Patrick Mahomes is the quarterback since Mahomes likes to move around within the pocket. He had an underrated finish to the season and was quietly one of the better players on the entire team down the stretch.

9. Isiah Pacheco, Running Back

No player saw his stock rise more over the past ten months than Isiah Pacheco. Not many fans thought he would ever be a starting-caliber player for the Chiefs, let alone one during his rookie season. In the first half of the year, Pacheco did not see much action on offense, outside of the occasional rotation in and garbage time. Since becoming the primary early-down back against the Jaguars in Week 10, he rushed for 830 yards on 163 carries (for 5.1 yards per carry), 3.20 Yards After Contact per Attempt, and rushed for five touchdowns.

Many fans were clamoring for Isiah Pacheco to start over Clyde Edwards-Helaire and they finally got their wish in November. The rookie averaged 0.9 more yards per carry since becoming the starter than CEH did the whole season before his injury. Pacheco can run with speed and power, which makes him a great fit with Jerick McKinnon as the other primary running back. His three fumbles for the season and his pass-blocking leave a lot of room for improvement. But if he can improve in both categories, then the Chiefs may have found one of the biggest steals in the 2022 NFL Draft.

8. Tommy Townsend, Punter

One of the more under-the-radar players from this past season was Tommy Townsend. He was every bit deserving of being named first-team all-pro at his position. According to Pro Football Focus ($), Townsend was their highest-graded punter from 2022, had the highest Average Net Yards per Punt Attempt, and was second in average hang time.

Even though the Chiefs punted the third-fewest amount of times per game, Tommy Townsend made the most of his opportunities. After struggling in 2021, he broke out and became one of the best in the league at his position. There are some concerns about his holding ability on field goals, but he was incredible at his main duty this past season.

7. Nick Bolton, Linebacker

After a great rookie season, Nick Bolton took a step forward in 2022. He improved his coverage ability, got stronger against the run, and was just as great of a tackler as he was in his first season. He was the best tackler on a Super Bowl-winning defense and also played more snaps than any other Chiefs defender in 2022-23.

Perhaps the most iconic moment of his entire football career was returning a Jalen Hurts fumble for a touchdown in Super Bowl LVII to tie the game at 14. He also had another fumble return for a touchdown called back due to a questionable incomplete ruling after a review.

In the middle of the season, there were some questions about his development, some valid and some not, but he’s still been a reliable defender for the Chiefs, especially down the stretch in every game not against the Cincinnati Bengals. He has a chance to be a star in this league and Super Bowl LVII may have just been the beginning.

6. L’Jarius Sneed, Cornerback

The third season of L’Jarius Sneed’s NFL career was also his best. Not only was he solid in coverage, but he was also excellent as a blitzer, recording 20 pressures, 3.5 sacks, and forcing one fumble. In addition, he was a good tackler for a cornerback and played the run very well. In 2022, he also set career bests in tackles and pass breakups.

After a lot of turnover on defense last offseason, especially in the secondary, L’Jarius Sneed was expected to be one of the better players on the entire defense and he definitely lived up to the challenge. Although he was a fourth-round pick in 2020, Sneed was an immediate impact player and has been one of the best gems that Brett Veach found as GM of the team. He’s still getting better as a player and 2022 may have been his breakout campaign as a star in the NFL.

5. Joe Thuney, Left Guard

One of the most underrated players in the entirety of the NFL is Joe Thuney. Although he was given one of the largest contracts in history for a player at his position, he’s been worth every single penny. For the second year in a row, Thuney was PFF’s ($) highest-graded pass-blocking guard, allowing just 1 sack and 20 pressures in 754 snaps, giving him a pass-blocking efficiency of 98.6%. In just four games this season did he allow more than two pressures and only surrendered a sack or hit in four of 18 games played. In addition, he was only penalized twice, the fewest among all Chiefs linemen who played at least 1,000 snaps.

The Chiefs have an incredible offensive line and Joe Thuney is one of the main reasons why. He’s good in the run game but he is second to none in pass protection. There’s also an argument to be made that he’s one of the most consistent players on the entire team. Not many fans would recognize him walking down the street, but he’s absolutely one of the most impactful players on a championship squad.

4. Creed Humphrey, Center

Despite being only 23 years old, Creed Humphrey has cemented himself as a Top 3 Center in all of football. He is elite in the running game and is excellent at protecting Patrick Mahomes in the passing game. He was PFF’s ($) highest overall graded Center and had the third-highest pass-blocking efficiency at 98.9%, including allowing a grand total of zero sacks in 20 games. He also earned the highest run-blocking grade among all Centers and the second-highest among all interior offensive linemen. He is incredible in all facets of the game and also pitched a shutout in the Super Bowl as he gave up zero pressures in 32 pass-blocking snaps.

Creed Humphrey is the highest-ranked player on this list who is not currently a lock to be a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and it’s for good reason. He has been a fantastic player for the Chiefs since the day he stepped on the field last year and 2022 will just be another elite season in what will be known as an illustrious career in 10+ years.

3. Travis Kelce, Tight End

Another year, another 1,000-yard season for the future Hall of Fame tight end Travis Kelce. If Patrick Mahomes never existed, Travis Kelce would likely be considered the greatest offensive player, and maybe even overall player, in the history of the franchise.

In the regular season, he set his career best in receiving touchdowns (12), plus receptions (110), and he was less than 100 yards away (1,338) from breaking his own NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end (1,416). After Tyreek Hill was traded, many NFL people thought that Kelce’s production would take a hit since he would “receiver more attention from defenses” and that’s proven to be BS since his yards, catches, and touchdowns all went up significantly compared to 2021.

In the playoffs, he racked up 27 catches, 258 receiving yards, and four touchdowns in just three games. After the successful playoff run, Travis Kelce is second in catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns among all players in the history of the NFL postseason. He trails only Jerry Rice in all three categories. If he can continue his elite play for a couple of more seasons, there’s a very real chance that he’ll end up as the most decorated receiver in the history of the NFL. 2022 was just another season of him building his case to be the GOAT tight end.

2. Chris Jones, Defensive Tackle

2022 was going to be a critical year for Chris Jones because he would likely be in line for a contract extension in the offseason. Not only was it a de facto contract year, but the Chiefs’ pass rush also received a lot of criticism in the offseason and was under a lot of pressure to take the next step if the team wanted to make a deep postseason run.

Not only did Jones play well, as he always has, but he had the best season of his entire career. In the regular season, he tied his career high in sacks and set his career high in total tackles and pressures. In addition, he had one of the greatest individual performances that a Chiefs defender has ever had in the playoffs. He had 10 pressures on Joe Burrow, two sacks, and a defensive stop in the running game. If award voting occurred after the conference championship games, he would have had my vote for the Defensive Player of the Year. Although I’m confident he’d much rather have his second Super Bowl ring instead.

1. Patrick Mahomes, Quarterback

What else is there to say about Patrick Lavon Mahomes II? He won the second MVP, Super Bowl, and Super Bowl MVP of his already illustrious career. Despite only starting for five seasons, he’s already one of the most decorated quarterbacks in the history of football, only trailing the best of the best this sport has ever seen. He is the best quarterback in the NFL and it’s not debatable. He has the statistics, regular season success, and playoff success that almost every other quarterback playing today lacks.

Mahomes was the best player on the Chiefs during the 2022-23 season. In the regular season alone, he racked up 5,250 passing yards, 5,608 total yards, 41 passing touchdowns, and 45 total touchdowns this past regular season. He led the NFL in all four categories.

Patrick Mahomes is both the best and most valuable player on the Kansas City Chiefs. This team wouldn’t be anywhere close to being a Super Bowl contender without him. Without him, they wouldn’t even have sniffed Super Bowl victories in 2020 and 2023. With him, they are the definitive favorites, or at least one of the two or three top favorites, every season he is healthy. If he continues at this pace, there’s a chance that Tom Brady’s reign as the GOAT of the NFL may not last forever.