Joe Thuney reminds the Kansas City Chiefs of what they once had after beating out Creed Humphrey at the 2026 NFL Honors
The Chiefs have to be missing Creed Humphrey.
The Kansas City Chiefs nearly had an award winner this season—not Patrick Mahomes, but center Creed Humphrey, who stood out despite a tough year. The worst part is that he lost to a former teammate.
Creed Humphrey loses the Protector of the Year Award to Joe Thuney
Last week, Humphrey was named a finalist for the NFL’s first annual Protector of the Year Award, which honors the top offensive lineman for the 2025 NFL season. A panel of former NFL greats along the offensive line votes for the award, including Kansas City Chiefs RG Will Shields, Philadelphia Eagles C Jason Kelce, New Orleans Saints OL LeCharles Bentley, New York Giants OL Shaun O’Hara, St. Louis Rams OT Orlando Pace, and Cincinnati Bengals OT Andrew Whitworth.
Humphrey faced tough competition for the inaugural award. He contended with standout linemen such as Denver Broncos OT Garett Bolles, Miami Dolphins C Aaron Brewer, Denver Broncos G Quinn Meinerz, Detroit Lions OT Penei Sewell, and Chicago Bears G Joe Thuney. His former teammate, Thuney, won the award, and rightfully so. Thuney had an amazing season, one of his best ever, and helped the Bears get to the postseason.
Humphrey distinguished himself in 2025 with remarkable consistency and efficiency, even though he didn’t take home the award. He faced more adversity than any of the other finalists, often playing alongside a shuffled and injury-plagued offensive line. Despite those challenges, he was on the field for all 17 games, gave up just eight total pressures and a single sack, and drew only two penalties across almost 1,100 snaps.
Since being drafted in the second round in 2021, Humphrey has epitomized durability with 85 straight starts. He already has two Super Bowl titles, two First-Team All-Pro honors, a Second-Team All-Pro, and four Pro Bowls. If he maintains this level, he could soon be a frontrunner for the 2020s All-Decade center.
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