Joe Thuney exemplifies what it means to be an offensive lineman. Selfless, consistent, and valued. The Super Bowl-winning guard was forced to be moved to left tackle in 2024 due to multiple issues along the Kansas City offensive line and despite playing out of position, he remained a dominant force on the line of scrimmage.

His play helped Kansas City return to the Super Bowl for a third straight year, and as a result, he was named to Pro Football Focus’ list of the 101 best players in the NFL during the 2024 season. The list, formed by Mason Cameron, Dalton Wasserman, and Max Chadwick took into consideration not just Thuney’s regular season but his big-time performances in the postseason, ranking him at 46.

“Thuney has been one of the league’s 10 highest-graded guards in each of the last seven seasons. While he’s been the model of consistency at guard, his versatility led to his fifth PFF 101 ranking.” Wrote PFF’s Cameron, Wasserman and Chadwick. “He was forced to be Kansas City’s starting left tackle from Week 15 all the way through the Super Bowl due to their struggles there. While it wasn’t perfect, he still earned a solid 65.6 grade there and at least provided some much-needed stability at that spot.”

While Thuney did fill a need once Kingsley Suamataia proved he wasn’t ready and D.J. Humphries couldn’t stay on the field, the lack of his skills at the guard position played a massive factor in the loss to Philadelphia in Super Bowl LIX.

The Chiefs’ offensive line is in a state of disrepair. Having Thuney play away from Creed Humphrey does not help. It’s time for a full overhaul on the offensive line that calls for legitimate answers to the tackle positions.

Regardless, Thuney continues to prove that he is an invaluable member of the organization. If Kansas City wants to return to their offensive success and consistency of years past, they need Thuney to not only return to his position but by doing so, the Chiefs could once again have a strong interior rushing attack.

It would be irresponsible to have two new guards flank Humphrey, especially if Trey Smith is out the door.

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