Kansas City Chiefs: Joe Thuney dream free agent target

Joe Thuney #62 of the New England Patriots (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /

This offseason becomes more intriguing as the push to get a new CBA intensifies. Will it get done in time for the Kansas City Chiefs to have some more financial flexibility with free agency? If so, Joe Thuney is a dream option.

It’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs are in a tough spot this offseason. With some tough contractual decisions to make and having very limited funds in the salary cap, the team may have to lay low as free agency begins.

There’s also an element of this offseason that adds more tension for all 32 teams – the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Until a new agreement with a new CBA can be reached, every team is a bit in limbo headed into free agency.

The big reason this potential new agreement matters so much this offseason is that teams don’t exactly know how large the salary cap will be or how much they’ll be able to spend. The sooner it gets done, the sooner teams can move forward with existing plans or the opportunity to make new plans.

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For the Chiefs, more room in the salary cap could go a long way. So, if they’re afforded more space in the cap, there’s one player they should definitely look at bringing in.

Soon-to-be free agent Joe Thuney is a former third-round draft pick of the New England Patriots in 2016. Since coming into the league, he’s contributed to two of New England’s Super Bowl wins while picking up a PFWA All-Rookie Team award and becoming a second-team All-Pro just this past season.

Pro Football Focus grades Thuney at a 77.4, which is better than the current interior offensive linemen on Chiefs’ roster. In that respect, he would be a certain upgrade.

If the Chiefs’ brass is serious about protecting the league’s best quarterback, some attention will need to be spent on the offensive line. With the tackle position anchored down by stalwarts Mitchell Schwartz and Eric Fisher, the interior offensive line could use some help.

With the Chiefs not picking up the 2020 option on Cam Erving, Stefen Wisniewski set to become a free agent, and Andrew Wylie getting fewer snaps toward the end of the season, this is a group in flux. Needless to say, the offensive line could look very different in 2020.

While it may be wishful thinking, a different look with the addition of Thuney would be a nice luxury. The most promising aspect of having him on the roster isn’t just his talent, but his consistency as well.

Through four seasons, Thuney has started all 16 games in each of those seasons. That’s an incredible dependably much like that of the Chiefs’ own Mitchell Schwartz.

Another reason that Thuney would fit well along the Chiefs’ offensive line is his build type. The Chiefs don’t seem to employ road grader type lineman as much as the more athletic type.

The 6″5″ 308-pound Thuney would seem to be a bit more agile, not carrying the heavier weight of bigger linemen. This seems to fit the bill of a quicker, more high-flying offense like Kansas City’s. There are also the intangibles like coming from a winning organization and understanding what success takes.

All these things could easily keep Thuney from landing on the Chiefs’ roster, especially if more salary cap funds are not afforded. Whether a new CBA is reached or not, hopefully the Chiefs have this talented free agent in their plans in some way.

Bringing Thuney in would bring in a proven winner and would be an absolute upgrade to the offensive line. Here’s to hoping he’ll be wearing the red and gold instead of the blue and red when the Chiefs face off against the Patriots this coming season.

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