Chiefs' Star Guard Returns to Practice

The Kansas City Chiefs can breathe a little easier now as they attempt to bounce back from their 24-20 defeat to the Buffalo Bills. After missing Wednesday's session with an ankle injury, guard Joe Thuney returned to practice Thursday and appears in line to play in Week 7's matchup with the San Francisco 49ers.

As expected, CB Rashad Fenton is the only player not working for the #Chiefs on Thursday.

That means LG Joe Thuney (ankle) and DE Mike Danna (calf) are back to work. CB Trent McDuffie continues to push to get off IR before Kansas City travels to play the #49ers.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) October 20, 2022

Thuney has played every single offensive snap through six weeks of the regular season, so his absence Wednesday afternoon came as a bit of a surprise. Luckily for the Chiefs, their offensive line should be pretty close to full strength as they face a 49ers defensive front that includes Nick Bosa.

Thuney has been a solid, dependable presence at left guard since joining the team in 2021 on a five-year, $80 million deal that at the time made him the league's highest-paid guard. He was part of a concerted effort to shore up an offensive line that allowed 21 pressures in the Chiefs' embarrassing 31-9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Super Bowl LV.

Thuney initially entered the league as the New England Patriots' 78th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. He opened his career with three consecutive Super Bowl appearances with the team, winning two. He has been a consistently good if never quite elite guard, notching a career-low 63.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus as a rookie and peaking with an 80.5 mark in 2021.   

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