The Kansas City Chiefs have had issues at left tackle all year long — at least, until veteran left guard Joe Thuney kicked outside toward the end of the regular season.
Although Thuney’s performances at left tackle have been far from perfect, he’s been a major improvement on players like Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries and rookie Kingsley Suamataia. And it appears head coach Andy Reid agrees, as he seemingly confirmed his plans to continue on with Thuney protecting the blindside against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59.
“Yeah, it’ll probably be the same [starting alignment],” Reid told reporters on January 30. “Again, we’ll rotate them all in there, but I think it’ll probably end up being the same.”
As far as Reid pressers go, that’s about as close to a “yes” as you’ll typically get.
So much so, that veteran Arrowhead Pride beat reporter Pete Sweeney relayed on X: “Andy Reid says that he plans to stick with Joe Thuney at left tackle into the Super Bowl. Mike Caliendo will be the starter at left guard.”
Examining the Recent Performances of Chiefs Offensive Linemen Joe Thuney & Mike Caliendo
There have been several reasons for Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs’ recent offensive resurgence. One of them is the impact of Thuney and Caliendo.
Since Week 15, Thuney and Caliendo have played just about every snap outside of the Week 18 outing where Kansas City rested their starters. So, when Coach Reid says he’s going to rotate players in, he’s really only talking about jumbo packages and special teams.
Over that span, the pair of natural guards have been responsible for just two sacks according to Pro Football Focus. One charged to Thuney during the Divisional Round matchup with the Houston Texans, and one charged to Caliendo during the AFC Championship game versus the Buffalo Bills.
Caliendo is now the weak spot of the offensive line, no doubt, and he’ll have a very difficult matchup in the Super Bowl facing off against former first-round draft picks like Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter. But the former undrafted prospect has held his own.
Caliendo allowed four quarterback pressures against the Texans and two competing with Buffalo — with one of those pressures being the aforementioned sack. Well-paid right tackle Jawaan Taylor actually allowed more QB pressures versus the Bills (with three) but was only charged with one against Houston.
As for Thuney, he’s coming off what could be his best performance at left tackle.
PFF graded Thuney an 89.3 out of 100 in pass protection during the AFC Championship, with zero quarterback pressures allowed. Those types of grades were typical for Thuney at left guard, but his numbers have dipped since being shifted outside.
Thuney’s run-blocking marks weren’t as high against Buffalo (59.7 grade), but he’s mainly being utilized out there to give Mahomes more time. He’s done that since taking over at LT, and because of it, good things have happened.
As Thuney has gotten older, some have theorized that the Chiefs could eventually move on from him for financial reasons, either via cut or trade. But if the 2024 campaign is any indication, Kansas City must make it a priority to keep the veteran blocker for as long as he wants to continue on playing football.
Thuney is currently under contract for the 2025 season, assuming he’s not released, but he’s a free agent in 2026.
At that point, he’ll be entering his age 34 campaign, and it’s unclear how long the potential future Hall of Famer would like to keep playing. While 34 is still young enough to suit up for a few more years, there’s not too much left for Thuney to accomplish.
Over the Cap estimates that Thuney has earned over $83 million throughout his NFL career, with four Super Bowl rings — prior to the upcoming opportunity for a fifth — and multiple All-Pro honors.
After a career like that, no one would blame Thuney if he decided to hang up the cleats. Having said that, the Chiefs should do everything in their power to make sure the integral offensive lineman eventually retires in Kansas City.
