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Joe Thuney

NFC North Notes: Bears, Lions, Kelly, Pack

March 20th, 2025 at 10:50am CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to the Bears agreeing to re-sign Travis Homer, they considered a veteran with ties to Ryan Poles and new running backs coach Eric Bieniemy. Chicago considered Kareem Hunt in free agency, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Poles and Bieniemy were with the Chiefs when they drafted Hunt in the 2017 third round, with the current Bears GM serving as Kansas City’s college scouting director at that point. Hunt won a rushing title as a rookie and was off to a better start in 2018, when a video of him kicking a woman led to his initial Kansas City ouster. The Chiefs circled back to Hunt six years later, after an Isiah Pacheco injury, and have since re-signed him. The Bears still have Homer and Roschon Johnson behind starter D’Andre Swift, who joins Jonah Jackson in reuniting with Ben Johnson.

Here is the latest from the NFC North:

  • On the subject of Jackson, he is set to play right guard next season, per the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs. Jackson started four seasons at left guard in Detroit, but he will end up deferring to Joe Thuney, who landed as the All-Pro first team’s left guard in back-to-back seasons. The older of the Bears’ two guard trade pickups is in a contract year, Thuney gave no clues about a potential extension (via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin). Keeping with the reunion theme, Thuney signed with the Chiefs when Poles was still on Brett Veach‘s staff.
  • Losing durable veteran Kevin Zeitler to the Titans, the Lions appear in need at guard. Graham Glasgow remains, but the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett expects the team to add another starter-level option at the position. This could come in free agency or the draft. A few free agency options are available. Brandon Scherff, Dalton Risner, Cody Whitehair, Will Hernandez and Andrus Peat are among the top veteran options. Teven Jenkins is the leader in this clubhouse right now, and it will be interesting to see where the three-year Bears starter lands. Early in free agency, Jenkins had set a high price. Christian Mahogany, a 2024 sixth-round pick, looks to be in position to still compete for the job Zeitler held last season, Birkett adds.
  • The Vikings paid a high price for Will Fries but landed ex-Colts center Ryan Kelly on a mid-market deal. Kelly agreed to a two-year, $18MM contract that comes with $9.15MM guaranteed. No part of Kelly’s $7.89MM 2026 base salary is guaranteed, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes, giving Minnesota some flexibility on the soon-to-be 32-year-old center. The Vikings would carry no dead money if they cut Kelly next year. Elsewhere on Minnesota’s cap sheet, DB Tavierre Thomas‘ deal comes in at one year and $2MM, Wilson adds. The former Browns, Texans and Buccaneers defender commanded a $1MM guarantee.
  • Marcus Davenport‘s second shot at becoming a regular Lions contributor will include a pay cut. Reported as signing a deal worth up to $4.75MM, Davenport will be tied to $2.5MM in base value, via OverTheCap. Of that total, $1.65MM is guaranteed. The Lions are guaranteeing Davenport’s $1.35MM base salary, per Wilson, which would leave them with a near-$2MM dead money hit if they moved on. Davenport has missed 28 games over the past two seasons. Roy Lopez‘s “up to” report checked in at $4.75MM; the actual value of the Lions DT’s contract (via Wilson): $3.5MM.
  • The Lions also brought in former Bills tight end Quintin Morris on a free agency visit this week, FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz notes. Buffalo did not tender Morris as an RFA, passing on a $3.26MM price to retain its primary blocking tight end. The Lions matched a 49ers RFA offer sheet for Brock Wright last year; two years remain on Wright’s deal. Morris, 26, played 214 offensive snaps for the Bills last season.
  • Isaiah McDuffie‘s two-year, $8MM Packers pact does not bring any 2026 guarantees, though ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky indicates it carries a $750K roster bonus next year. Guaranteeing the 2024 linebacker starter $2.25MM, the Packers can move on for barely $1MM in dead money after the 2025 season.

Chiefs To Trade G Joe Thuney To Bears

March 5th, 2025 at 11:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Minutes after a report indicating the Chiefs were exploring a Joe Thuney trade surfaced, the Bears are expected to swoop in. Chicago is on track to land the All-Pro guard from Kansas City, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports.

This will be the second straight day the Bears will have reached a trade agreement involving a guard, with the team agreeing to obtain Jonah Jackson from the Rams on Tuesday. Chicago GM Ryan Poles was in Kansas City when the Chiefs signed Thuney in 2021.

The Bears are rumored to be sending a fourth-round pick to the Chiefs, Rapoport adds. It will be a 2026 fourth exchanged, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This move will create $16MM in cap space for the Chiefs while leaving them with $10.7MM in dead money. Moving $16MM off the Chiefs’ books will slide them closer to cap compliance, though they entered Wednesday more than $18MM over.

Poles’ team was also mentioned as a potential destination for Trey Smith, but the Chiefs kept the younger of their two Pro Bowl guards via the franchise tag. Chicago will take Thuney, who just completed his age-32 season. One season remains on Thuney’s five-year, $80MM contract. Thuney is due a $15.5MM base salary in 2025; Jackson’s Rams-designed contract calls for a $9MM 2025 base.

Coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons, Thuney has started all 146 games he has played. The ex-Patriots third-round pick has four Super Bowl rings. A bid for a fifth did not go well, as the Chiefs played Thuney at left tackle during a blowout loss to the Eagles, but he has been one of the league’s best guards for many years.

In addition to Thuney’s two first-team honors, he has two second-team All-Pro accolades on his resume. Kansas City overhauled its O-line after the Buccaneers battered Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LV, which featured the team missing both its starting tackles. The Chiefs acquired Thuney, Smith, Orlando Brown Jr. and Creed Humphrey during the 2021 offseason. That quartet helped them win Super Bowl LVII, with the Thuney-Humphrey-Smith trio being in place for the AFC West superpower’s past two Super Bowl trips as well.

The Chiefs gave Humphrey a center-record extension last year and have right tackle Jawaan Taylor locked in for the 2025 season. Even though the latter has not played especially well in Kansas City, he was one of the 2023 free agent market’s top pieces. That allowed him to a secure a contact that guaranteed his 2025 base salary by March 2024. The Chiefs now have Smith tied to a $23.2MM franchise tag and are pursuing a true left tackle. More work will need to be done to reach cap compliance and carve out spending room, and the team will part with Thuney on the way.

The Bears whiffed on their Nate Davis signing in 2023, and the team has Teven Jenkins days from free agency. Although Jenkins made a push for a Bears extension last year, it appears the former second-round pick will head elsewhere. This trade also comes a year after the Bears acquired Ryan Bates from the Bills, who had previously matched a Bears RFA offer sheet for the veteran guard. With Ben Johnson coming in, his team will use an ex-Lion and a decorated AFC blocker at guard in 2025.

Chicago still has tackle starters Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright under contract, but center Coleman Shelton is back on track for free agency. More work may remain for the Bears, who are throwing resources at protecting Caleb Williams in 2025. Williams took an NFL-high 68 sacks last season. That total ranks in the top five over the past 15 NFL seasons. While the team traded for two pricey guards, the moves have only cost Day 3 picks.

One of the players the Chiefs tried at left tackle before moving Thuney over, Kingsley Suamataia looks likely to have a shot to replace him at LG. A position change may be on tap for the 2024 second-round tackle, Rapoport adds. The Chiefs benched Suamataia in Week 2, with Thuney eventually proving a more reliable option — before Super Bowl LIX — at LT. Three yeras remain on Suamataia’s rookie contract.

Chiefs Discussing Joe Thuney Trade; Bears Among Interested Teams

March 5th, 2025 at 8:16am CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs were one of two teams to use the franchise tag this year, cuffing fifth-year guard Trey Smith. The team has barely a week to move under the salary cap. A route being explored appears to be a trade of their more experienced starting guard.

Kansas City is discussing Joe Thuney in trades, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini reports. Thuney is heading into the final year of his contract and coming off back-to-back first-team All-Pro seasons. The Bears, who traded for Jonah Jackson on Tuesday, are among the interested teams, Russini adds.

As of Wednesday morning, the Chiefs are more than $18MM over the cap. While the three-time reigning AFC champions will need to prepare to lose some other free agents — Nick Bolton and Justin Reid perhaps among them — they will at least need to move under the cap and carve out some spending room to address other priorities. Left tackle is believed to be a place where the Chiefs are investigating, with Thuney’s final game of the season exposing him as overmatched while moonlighting there.

Smith is going into his age-26 season; Thuney will turn 33 in November. Swapping out an older guard’s salary for their younger guard standout is logical, even if Thuney has proven to be one of the best players at his position. Thuney, who also has two second-team All-Pro nods on his resume, would stand to attract interest. He is entering the final season of a five-year, $80MM contract; no guaranteed money remains on the deal.

Thuney is due a $15.5MM base salary in 2025 and will be set to carry a $26.97MM cap number. An acquiring team could reduce that via an extension, even if Thuney is moving close to his mid-30s. The nine-year veteran has started all 146 games he has played and has collected four Super Bowl rings. Thuney did not start for the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII, and while he endured a tough night against the Eagles last month, he was at his LG spot when the Chiefs beat them to win Super Bowl LVII.

The Bears have reunited Ben Johnson with Jackson, a four-year Lions starter. A move for Thuney would mark a reunion for GM Ryan Poles, who was with the Chiefs when they signed Thuney in 2021. As the Chiefs have paid Creed Humphrey and have Jawaan Taylor locked into a 2025 salary, they have put their most accomplished O-lineman on the trade block. The Bears used Teven Jenkins and Matt Pryor as their primary guards last season. A three-year Bears guard starter, Jenkins appears likely to leave in free agency next week.

Chiefs RG Trey Smith In Line For Market-Topping Deal; Bears Could Have Interest

February 2nd, 2025 at 9:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Per ESPN’s Matt Bowen, multiple teams believe Chiefs right guard Trey Smith is the best player eligible for free agency in March (subscription required). That adds even more credence to the November reports suggesting Smith could become the league’s highest-paid interior blocker if he were to hit the open market.

In the estimation of SI.com’s Albert Breer, it will be difficult for Kansas City to prevent Smith from testing the FA waters. After all, fellow O-linemen Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Jawaan Taylor are already attached to high-end contracts, and sources tell Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune the Chiefs are unlikely to move on from Thuney. In addition, CB Trent McDuffie and edge defender George Karlaftis are extension-eligible for the first time, and the league’s current preeminent franchise is already projected to be close to the 2025 salary cap. Since Smith’s franchise tag number would check in at roughly $25MM for the upcoming season with a corresponding cap hit, that is likely not a feasible option (the transition tag would not be much cheaper).

Even though Breer says it would not be surprising to see the club part ways with Taylor, only a trade would lead to any 2025 cap savings (and given Taylor’s $19.5MM base pay in each of the next two seasons and his generally underwhelming performance as a member of the Chiefs, it is difficult to envision much of a trade market forming). That said, Smith is one of GM Brett Veach’s most notable draft triumphs, as the former sixth-rounder has become one of the game’s best all-around guards with a 75.1% run-block win rate in 2024 (h/t Bowen) and a 95.6% pass-block win rate since entering the league in 2021 (h/t ESPN’s Dan Graziano (subscription required)). 

So, in light of KC’s struggles at the tackle spots, and since Thuney is under contract for just one more year, Veach may try to find a way to keep Smith on the roster. Indeed, Graziano believes the GM will do just that, and he predicts the Chiefs will authorize a five-year, $105MM accord ($65MM guaranteed) for the Tennessee product. The $21MM average annual value on such a deal would match Eagles LG Landon Dickerson’s at the top of the guard market, while the guaranteed money would represent a new high-water mark for guards.

If the Chiefs are unable to come to terms with Smith during their exclusive negotiating window, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (in the same Bowen piece linked above) names the Bears as a team to watch. Chicago GM Ryan Poles was on Veach’s KC staff when Smith was drafted, and one of Poles’ top priorities this offseason will be addressing the interior of his O-line.

Biggs adds that it would be unsurprising to see the Bears becoming a serious suitor for Smith should the Chiefs decline to pay up for him. And, as one GM told Biggs, “[Smith] just might get to free agency. The $20 million guard thing really scares some teams. Teams have seen how the top guard have been paid, and some of them, they don’t want to go there.”

Biggs does say a tag-and-trade involving Smith is a possible outcome. The Chiefs are plenty familiar with that process, having tagged CB L’Jarius Sneed last March before trading him to the Titans a few weeks later.

OL Notes: Thuney, Packers, Cowboys, Bears

January 17th, 2025 at 7:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Thuney landed on the All-Pro first team at his natural left guard position, but as the Chiefs have struggled to find a left tackle solution this season, they had kicked their standout LG to that post. Although in-season free agency addition D.J. Humphries is healthy, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler notes Kansas City will leave Thuney at LT. This arrangement has featured Mike Caliendo at left guard. Humphries, who rehabbed an ACL tear for most of 2024 as a free agent, suffered a hamstring injury during his Chiefs debut. Thuney has fared much better than Wanya Morris or second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia, the latter having won the job out of training camp. While the two-time reigning champions will have work to do at this spot soon, it appears their threepeat push will feature Thuney at LT the rest of the way.

Here is the latest from the O-line ranks:

  • The Packers have both their primary tackle starters (Rasheed Walker, Zach Tom) under contract for 2025, and Elgton Jenkins is tied to a lucrative extension. With Jordan Morgan‘s rookie deal going through 2027, Green Bay only has one key UFA-to-be on its offensive front. Four-year center starter Josh Myers is out of contract, but GM Brian Gutekunst labeled (via the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood) the blocker as having “his best year.” Perhaps more importantly, Gutekunst praised how Myers and Jordan Love work as a combo on offense. Although Ryan Kelly is the biggest name among available centers, Myers’ age (26) and experience (56 starts) will help him become one of the top interior O-linemen on the market. The Packers last faced a decision on a center in 2021, when they let Corey Linsley walk before drafting Myers. It will be interesting to see how they address the situation with Myers.
  • Also in Green Bay, Gutekunst noted that there could be some shuffling in the offensive line starters’ positions. Notably, he mentioned that Tom, who has started every game at right tackle for the past two years, could potentially shift over to the blind side, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Back in 2022, Tom’s rookie season, the Wake Forest alum started games at both left tackle and left guard, and Gutekunst believes Tom could play any of the five positions, though he lauds that the 25-year-old has established himself at tackle and could end up starting on the left side.
  • In the recent past Jerry Jones and the Cowboys have been extremely fortunate when forced to start rookie offensive linemen. Players like Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Connor Williams, and Zack Martin have all been players who immediately (or almost immediately) stepped in to great success on the offensive line in Dallas. This year, Jones hoped he’d be able to count to two rookies drafted in the first three rounds once again, starting first-round Oklahoma tackle Tyler Guyton and third-round Kansas State center Cooper Beebe for a combined 27 games. Guyton was drafted to replace departed veteran Tyron Smith, but the rookie was in a bit over his head this season. Out of 81 players graded at the position by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Guyton graded out as the 73rd-best tackle, getting benched near the end of the season. Beebe faired a bit better in 16 starts but only ranked as the 16th-best center in the league, per PFF. According to Jon Machota of The Athletic, Jones admitted on a radio interview with 105.3 The FAN that he “probably got a little out over (his) skis thinking, ‘just plug those guys in.'”
  • Offensive guard Matt Pryor has bounced around quite a bit over his first six years in the NFL, getting traded halfway through his rookie deal from Philadelphia to Indianapolis before spending a year each in San Francisco and Chicago. In his sixth NFL season, Pryor, who had only filled in as a starter over his first five years, found himself starting 15 games this season for the Bears. According to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, Pryor wouldn’t mind putting down some roots, saying “he’d like to return” after the one-year deal he played on this season. He graded out decently (21st of 77) per PFF, so he could fetch some money on the free agent market, but it sounds like he’s interested in staying in Chicago.

Ely Allen contributed to this post.

OL Notes: Bolles, Chiefs, 49ers, Texans, Jags

December 15th, 2024 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

For a second time, the Broncos allowed Garett Bolles to play deep into a contract year before extending him. After the sides previously reached an extension agreement in November 2020, Bolles inked his second Denver extension days before the team’s Week 15 game. Talks did not begin until recently. The sides did not begin to discuss a new deal — one Bolles had begun to lobby for back in 2023 — until after the Broncos’ win over the Browns, 9News’ Mike Klis notes. While Bolles held Myles Garrett without a sack, the Broncos’ upcoming bye week presumably had more to do with the timing of the negotiations.

Bolles is now the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid left tackle. Like recently extended edge rusher Jonathon Cooper, he may well have done better by reaching free agency. But Bolles wanted to stay with the team that drafted him back in 2017. The four-year, $82MM contract includes $23.7MM guaranteed at signing and features a similar guarantee structure to the one Mike McGlinchey secured. If Bolles is on Denver’s roster by Day 5 of the 2025 league year, his 2026 base salary becomes guaranteed, per OverTheCap. As the Broncos have part two of Russell Wilson‘s dead money due in 2025, they have predictably backloaded Bolles’ deal. This is a rather extreme effort, as five void years (through 2033) are attached to this deal. Bolles will count $5.8MM on Denver’s 2025 cap and just $9.2MM in 2026; the cap hits balloon past $20MM after that.

Here is the latest from the NFL’s O-line situations:

  • Unable to find a reliable left tackle since letting Orlando Brown Jr. leave in 2023, the Chiefs are going with an emergency plan today. With recent signee D.J. Humphries declared out due to a hamstring injury he sustained in his Kansas City debut, the Chiefs are kicking Joe Thuney to left tackle. The left guard saw time at LT against the Raiders, who were besting second-year blocker Wanya Morris. Rather than go with Morris, the Chiefs are using Thuney at LT and backup Mike Caliendo at LG, per ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher. This will cut into the Chiefs’ elite inside trio, but with the team seeing Patrick Mahomes hit with more frequency in recent weeks, it will use this patchwork adjustment to stem the tide. A 2023 UDFA, Caliendo is making his first career start.
  • On the same note, the Texans are making a change. Right tackle Tytus Howard is moving back to left guard, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson notes. Both center Juice Scruggs and left guard Kenyon Green are out. As a result, Howard will return to the position he primarily played last season. Howard has shuffled between tackle and guard as a pro; prior to his 812-snap 2024 at RT, he played all 408 of his 2023 snaps at LG. Second-round pick Blake Fisher is in at RT.
  • Trent Williams‘ recovery from an ankle injury has proven “a lot” slower than the 49ers expected, Kyle Shanahan said (via ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner). The team is not ruling him out for the rest of the season. That said, San Francisco is now 5-8; shelving the All-Pro the rest of the way would make sense. Williams, 36, secured significant guarantees via a September reworking. He has not indicated a 2025 return will commence, but his through-2026 contract contains enticements to come back.
  • The Bears should be likely to be shoppers to fortify their O-line’s interior in 2025, with the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs rating that area atop the team’s list of needs. Chicago whiffed on Nate Davis and devoted low-end money to center. Left guard Teven Jenkins is a free agent-to-be who has not engaged in substantive extension talks.
  • Like Bolles, Walker Little secured an extension recently. The Jaguars revealed their long-term left tackle plan, post-Cam Robinson, by signing Little to a three-year, $40.5MM extension. The first two years of Little’s deal are fully guaranteed, per OverTheCap. That comes out to $25.94MM. Although his 2027 salary is nonguaranteed, the 2021 second-rounder did well on the guarantee front as he bypasses free agency.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/24

July 28th, 2024 at 5:30pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves to close out the weekend:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Activated from active/NFI list: TE Erick All

Dallas Cowboys

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Thuney has been working his way back from a pectoral injury. After suffering the strain in a Divisional Round win over the Bills, the injury held Thuney out of the team’s final two wins over the Ravens and 49ers. Having passed his physical, Thuney will return to practice in order to take the next steps on his way back to the field.

The Giants weren’t the only team to submit a waiver claim for Rourke as he continues to try and turn his success in the Canadian Football League into an NFL opportunity. Now, after being buried on the depth chart behind Daniel Jones, Drew Lock, and Tommy DeVito, Rourke is able to look elsewhere for that chance at playing time in the NFL.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/17/24

July 17th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Some roster movement today in minor transactions as several teams are starting to add players to early injured lists:

Chicago Bears

  • Placed on active/NFI list: T Kiran Amegadjie
  • Placed on active/PUP list: DT Jamree Kromah

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

There was good news on the Horton front back in May as it was announced that the Texans defender had completed his final treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. As a rookie out of TCU, Horton sat out the final seven games of the 2023 season on the non-football illness list. As he continues to work his way back to the field, it appears he’ll start the summer on the list, as well.

Thompson’s situation in Kansas City also received some good news of late. After suffering a seizure that caused him to go into cardiac arrest in early-June, the Chiefs defender continues to make progress towards a return. He’ll start the summer on the non-football injury list but will continue to work his way back as he continues with medical procedures, per Nate Taylor of The Athletic.

Final Transactions Before Super Bowl LVIII

February 11th, 2024 at 1:30pm CST by Ely Allen

FEBRUARY 11: McKinnon is a game time decision, but NFL Network’s James Palmer reports he is expected to play. Sunday’s contest would represent his first action since Week 14, but it would also mark an impressive recovery in relatively short order from his core muscle surgery. McKinnon is a pending free agent, and a strong performance would help his market on another Chiefs deal or one with a new team.

FEBRUARY 10: With the NFL’s season finale taking place tomorrow night, both participants have made their roster moves in anticipation of the biggest game of the year. The 49ers‘ moves are simple as they choose to promote defensive tackles Alex Barrett and T.Y. McGill as standard gameday elevations, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. The Chiefs will make an elevation, as well, while also choosing to swap out an active roster player for a player off of injured reserve.

[Poll: Who Will Win Super Bowl LVIII?]

The Chiefs standard gameday practice squad elevation will once again be nose tackle Mike Pennel, who has been activated for each of Kansas City’s three playoff victories thus far. In the past, Pennel has been joined by practice squad cornerback Keith Taylor or defensive tackle Matt Dickerson, but it appears Pennel will be the lone practice squad defender activated for tomorrow.

As for the active roster addition, the Chiefs have made the move to officially activate running back Jerick McKinnon off of IR. The veteran rusher has mostly been a non-factor in the Chiefs offense this year but has served a role as the team’s backup pass-catching back. Despite the activation, McKinnon is still listed as questionable going into Sunday night’s game. In order to make room for McKinnon on the active roster, the Chiefs placed All-Pro guard Joe Thuney on IR. Thuney’s status was already known, so clearing him from the active roster should have little consequence at this point.

For San Francisco, Barrett and McGill are expected to be among the seven players listed as inactive for the big game. While this may make the elevations seem trivial, it’s the 49ers way of rewarding the reserve defenders. Elevating Barrett and McGill will provide the two with an additional playoff paycheck before the season ends.

Chiefs Rule Out Joe Thuney For Super Bowl LVIII; Jerick McKinnon Unlikely To Return

February 9th, 2024 at 4:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

FEBRUARY 9: As expected, the Chiefs will not keep anyone in suspense here. Reid’s assessment of Thuney will lead to the Chiefs ruling out their All-Pro left guard two days before Super Bowl LVIII. Kansas City has not ruled out McKinnon yet, but the passing-down back remains in the IR-return window.

FEBRUARY 6: A veteran of four Super Bowls, Joe Thuney is not expected to be in uniform for a fifth Sunday. The pectoral strain the Chiefs’ All-Pro left guard sustained against the Bills is likely to again force the AFC champions to make a substitution.

Andy Reid called Thuney, who picked up his first All-Pro nod this season, a longshot to play in Super Bowl LVIII. The Chiefs initially signed Thuney to help their O-line recover from the Buccaneers’ pass-rushing onslaught in Super Bowl LV; he entered the playoffs having missed only two games in three seasons with the Chiefs. The ex-Patriots draftee, however, appears set to give way to veteran backup Nick Allegretti once again.

[RELATED: Chiefs DE Charles Omenihu Tears ACL]

Part of the Chiefs’ injury-reshaped offensive line the Bucs dominated three years ago, Allegretti returned to a starting role in the Chiefs’ AFC championship game win over the Ravens. Kansas City received strong play from its interior O-line this season, helping the team cover for less consistent work from tackles Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor. ESPN’s pass block win rate metric ranks Thuney first among all interior O-linemen, with center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith respectively slotted second and fourth.

Thuney, 31, served as a Patriots linchpin during the second leg of their dynasty. New England drafted Thuney in the 2016 third round and plugged him in as a starter immediately. That meant three straight Super Bowl starts. Thuney added a fourth Super Bowl appearance last year, playing alongside Humphrey and Smith in the Chiefs’ narrow win over the Eagles. Thuney landed as the first-team All-Pro left guard this season. Allegretti is a rather experienced backup, however, having played in 15 postseason games since joining the Chiefs as a seventh-round pick in 2019.

Although Jerick McKinnon returned to practice over the weekend, Reid appears pessimistic the passing-down back will be available Sunday. The 11th-year Chiefs HC said (via The Athletic’s Nate Taylor) McKinnon is not practicing and has a slim chance to play. A key part of the Chiefs’ offense over the past three years, McKinnon has not played since Week 15 due to a groin injury. The Chiefs still have until Saturday to activate McKinnon from IR. This would keep the door open to him playing against the 49ers.

Two other pieces are eligible to return as well. The team also designated Skyy Moore and O-lineman Prince Tega Wanogho for return from IR during the playoffs, but neither has been activated. Kansas City has until Wednesday to activate Moore; otherwise, the inconsistent wideout will revert to season-ending IR. The Chiefs still have five IR activations remaining, giving them the flexibility to move all three players in the IR-return window back onto their roster. Though, it remains to be seen if the team is willing to create the necessary roster space.

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