KC Chiefs Confident in Nick Allegretti as Joe Thuney Injury Insurance
Despite the Kansas City Chiefs' Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills, a few negative injuries did come with the victory. One of them was to left guard Joe Thuney, who's dealing with a pectoral strain this week.
Thuney, who's started every single game for Kansas City this year, has played through notable injuries before. His fight is impressive so if it's possible for him to get on the field for the AFC Championship Game, he'll campaign for it to happen. With that said, this is a difficult injury for an offensive lineman to deal with. As a result, Thuney missed Wednesday's practice.
If Thuney misses Sunday's outing against the Baltimore Ravens, the Chiefs will be without a guard who made an All-Pro team this season. They aren't too worried, however, as backup Nick Allegretti has the full confidence of the team. Head coach Andy Reid expanded on that before practice on Wednesday.
"Allegretti is a guy that has started for us a number of games, and all the guys look at him like he's a starter," Reid said. "So everybody's got confidence that he can come in and do a nice job. Tough kid. Not everything's the prettiest thing that you've seen, but he's going to fight you right to the end. And he's smart, so, good combination."
Picked up by Kansas City in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft, Allegretti has provided surplus value in the years since his arrival. The former Illinois standout has 74 regular-season games of work under his belt, including 13 starts. He started each of the club's playoff games in early 2021, playing 100% of available postseason snaps all the way through to a Super Bowl loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. From a familiarity standpoint, there isn't anyone better suited to potentially replace Thuney for a bit.
Allegretti is also no slouch of a lineman. Pro Football Focus gave him a 73.2 composite grade this season, along with an 80.0 mark in 13 blocking reps during the Divisional Round in relief of Thuney. In the 2020-21 season, he graded out as the 32nd guard of 93 who played at least 20% of maximum snaps. His run blocking grade was 20th. Although he came back on a one-year contract during free agency, he'd be capable of starting on several other teams.
Center Creed Humphrey will work directly alongside the starting left guard in the AFC title game. He, like Reid, is confident in whoever takes the field.
"Allegretti's a great player," Humphrey said. "He's been around for a long time. A ton of great experience, he's played in huge games before. Whoever's up this week is going to do a great job."
As of Wednesday afternoon, no one has a firm read on whether Thuney will suit up on Sunday. He still has some hoops to jump through with the training staff before being deemed ready to go. Given his track record, there's at least some optimism. Thuney has played through numerous ankle ailments over the years, as well as a hand fracture during the 2021 season. No one is questioning his toughness ahead of a pivotal game, including Humphrey.
"He's just a tough guy," Humphrey said. "He does all the things the right way. That's just kind of how Joe is."
