KC Chiefs have three players among Pro Bowl early vote leaders

The early results of the 2024 Pro Bowl vote are out as of Tuesday, December 5, and three members of the Kansas City Chiefs are the leading vote getters at their respective positions.

And, no, it's not who you think.

While some of the names involved with the Chiefs are among the expected, the truth is that the player often referred to as the single best player in the NFL—the reigning NFL Most Valuable Player—is not leading his position. Even more insane is that Patrick Mahomes isn't even top three.

The Kansas City Chiefs have three players leading their positional categories but it's not the names you might think.

Back to Mahomes in a second. Let's focus on the positive. So far, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, center Creed Humphrey, and defensive tackle Chris Jones are the top players in voting at their respective spots.

For Kelce, this year's honor would be his ninth Pro Bowl appearance—all consecutive, leading back to his third season in the league. So far this season, he's leading tight ends once again in receiving yards with 813 in only 11 starts. This year's accomplishments are just the cherry on top of a career that's been bound for Canton for quite some time.

For Jones, the Pro Bowl honor would be confirmation that some team is going to give him big money this offseason. After sitting out the entire preseason and even into Week 1, Jones stepped from the stands of Arrowhead onto the field for Week 2 and looked as if he hadn't missed a beat. To date he has 7.5 sacks and remains the engine for the entire Chiefs defense—an anchor up front that draws constant double teams. If vote totals stay at this level, Jones would make his fifth straight Pro Bowl this winter.

For Humphrey, the awards and accolades have been coming since the beginning. Two years ago, he placed third in Rookie of the Year voting—as a center. Last year, he made his first Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro. This year, he's right there again and is consistently named in tandem with Jason Kelce as the best two centers in the game. Considering Humphrey is in his early twenties, it feels safe to assume he's set up for a legendary run if he stays healthy.

As for Mahomes, some fans might admit they're not surprised based on the production of this season, but Mahomes' ubiquitous presence and global popularity should counter any of that. Or at least it seems that way. Instead, Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins is in first place with Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud right behind him. Even the NFC's leader, Dak Prescott, comes in next in total votes before Mahomes, who is at No. 4 overall among NFL quarterbacks.

A few other Chiefs are in the top vote getters at their positions and have a real chance of making the Pro Bowl. That list includes L'Jarius Sneed (9th) at corner, Jack Cochrane (5th) for special teams player, Justin Reid (5th) at strong safety, Tommy Townsend (9th) at punter, Isiah Pacheco (8th) at running back, James Winchester (5th) at long snapper, Harrison Butker (4th) at kicker, and Joe Thuney (3rd) at guard.