The Kansas City Chiefs will likely spend this summer finding a way to place better protection around quarterback Patrick Mahomes. A terrible performance in the Super Bowl by the Chiefs’ offensive line has placed a renewed emphasis on the position group this offseason.
Still, the Chiefs got things started by franchise tagging offensive lineman Trey Smith. They followed that up by trading offensive lineman Joe Thuney. While one move made sense, one is a little more questionable as the Chiefs seemingly did not get much in return for Thuney.
Jordan Dajani of CBS Sports graded the Chiefs’ decision to trade Thuney and the return they got for the veteran offensive lineman. Although Dajani gave the Bears an ‘A’ grade, he gave the Chiefs a D+, as he was not impressed with how things shook out for the Chiefs.
“Thuney was a star for the Chiefs over the past few seasons, but the bottom line is that Kansas City currently has the highest-paid center and highest-paid offensive guard on roster while Thuney, entering the final year of his current contract and carries a cap hit of $16 million next season, was likely looking for an extension. The Chiefs were $18.1 millionover the cap before this move, and still have work to do if they want to be players in free agency,” Dajani said.
Dajani noted that the decision to trade Thuney was likely a difficult one for general manager Brett Veach, as he now has even more work to do to solidify the Chiefs’ offensive line. The unit had a dismal performance in the Super Bowl and is even thinner now after the trade.
“This was surely a tough decision for Brett Veach, because [Kingsley] Suamataia as a replacement is no sure thing, and we learned from Super Bowls LV and LIX that Patrick Mahomes needs adequate protection if the Chiefs want to hoist trophies. The main reason this grade is so low is because Thuney is worth more than a future fourth-round pick,” Dajani said.
The Chiefs seemingly have a plan in place on how to rebuild their offensive line, as they would have been unlikely to make such a move without a plan to replace Thuney.
