After Sunday’s practice, Veteran All-Pro Guard Joe Thuney passed his physical and was officially activated to the roster. That’s good news for the Chiefs, who need Thuney back on the field to legitimately make a run for another Super Bowl title.
Late in the AFC Divisional round against the Buffalo Bills this past January, Kansas City Chiefs Left Guard injured his pectoral muscle. He missed the AFC Championship game against Baltimore and the Super Bowl two weeks later versus the San Francisco 49ers.
To date, he’s not participated in any of the Chief’s off-season programs and, until now, has been unable to take any practice reps. Mike Caliendo has taken all the reps at left tackle, and with Thuney returning Monday, it’s likely the two will split time.
The Chiefs have been very cautious with their All-Pro Guard because he’s coming off the best year of his career. The 31-year-old All-Pro and multiple Super Bowl Champions are invaluable to the Chief’s offense line.
Further, if the team chooses to start Kinglsy Suamataia at left tackle, having Thuney next to him could be the difference between a successful rookie season and a bad one. Kingsly is in a battle with Wayna Morris, and it appears he’s losing out to the BYU standout.
Further, Thuney has a lot riding on the 2024 season. He has the second-highest cap number ($26.9 Million) behind Patrick Mahomes. He will make that amount in 2025, and the Chiefs must decide if he will play beyond this season.
Normally, offensive linemen his age take a step back, but Thuney was brilliant last season and was in a zone very few players find up until the injury.
It’ll be interesting to see what the Chiefs do next season, but in the present tense, having Thuney back is an excellent thing for the team and the quarterback.
