Creed Humphrey Excited to Have 'Big-Time Leader' Joe Thuney Back

Kansas City got perhaps its best offensive lineman back on Monday, setting the table for the rest of training camp.

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey (52) and guard Joe Thuney (62) at the line of scrimmage against the Las Vegas Raiders during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports / Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line was a driving force in the club's playoff run through Super Bowl LVIII, and it got a big boost on Monday to kick off another week of training camp. Left guard Joe Thuney is back in the fold after being removed from the physically unable to perform list, giving Kansas City another All-Pro on the practice field.

It's a significant development for the reigning champs, as they had to take down the San Francisco 49ers in February without Thuney in the lineup. Nick Allegretti filled in admirably, but he's no longer on the team. That left players like Mike Caliendo and rookies Hunter Nourzad and C.J. Hanson to compete at the left guard spot while Thuney rehabbed his pectoral injury.

Moving forward in camp, there's no questioning who the first-stringer is at that spot anymore. Thuney has over a month to work himself back to full strength, and he's off to a good start after being eased back in on Monday. His training camp debut has everyone in St. Joseph, Missouri excited, especially his teammates.

Center Creed Humphrey, Thuney's right-hand man throughout the season, recently spoke about the gravity of that progress.

"It's great," Humphrey said. "Getting to have him back doing some group install stuff, some [individual] stuff, it's been good. Obviously, he's a big-time leader for us, he has a ton of experience and he's a heck of a player. Whenever you get a guy like that back, it's great."

Entering his fourth year with the Chiefs, Thuney's career is in an interesting spot. A four-time Super Bowl champion, he's seen and done just about everything in the NFL. The past couple of years in Kansas City featured some of his best football, as evidenced by his first two Pro Bowl selections and his only first-team All-Pro recognition coming in a Chiefs uniform. Thuney is 129 regular-season starts into his professional tenure, having logged well over 3,000 total snaps on his second team.

Humphrey believes Thuney's backlog of knowledge helps everyone else on the offensive line.

"Experience is the biggest thing," Humphrey said. "He's done it all in the league, he's played in all the big games and everything. He sees everything so well, and that's what makes him one of, if not the best guard in the league. To be able to have him back, it's going to be huge."

Coming off an injury to such a critical part of the body for an offensive lineman, Thuney has a lot to prove early in the 2024-25 campaign. Being just months away from his 32nd birthday doesn't make matters much simpler. To top it all off, he's carrying a massive cap hit of just under $27 million for 2024 and 2025. There's a lot on the line for the Chiefs, so they need Thuney to resemble his pre-injury self.

As camp continues, however, there isn't a single player or coach who seems even one bit worried about that. Thuney has always delivered for Kansas City in the past, which remains the expectation for this year and beyond.

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