Trey Smith Admits He Doesn’t ‘Feel 100%’ After Hip Injury: ‘Part of the Job'

They say health is wealth in life, which certainly translates to the NFL as well. The Kansas City Chiefs are no different, as last season saw them get the short end of the stick. A 6-11 record was the result in a year marred by injuries and bad luck.

Star right guard Trey Smith was banged up throughout the season, nursing a back injury near the campaign's midpoint and dealing with an ankle ailment on the back end. After spending his offseason getting in tip-top shape again and preparing full steam ahead for another grueling run, his momentum was stifled during training camp by a hip issue.

The injury kept Smith out of multiple practices and limited him to six snaps played in August's preseason slate. Now seemingly past it, he says the hip is "no problem" as September begins.

Is Smith at peak form for football, though? Speaking to the media this week, he gave a somewhat mysterious — and potentially telling — answer.

"Yeah, I feel fine," Smith said. "It's football, you never feel 100%"

Known for being a tough, gritty player, it takes something significant to keep Smith out of the lineup. In each of his first four years with the team, the lowest offensive snap share he had was 96% (2022 and 2023). He routinely surpassed the 1,000-snap mark during the regular season, cementing himself as an iron man of sorts and playing in 67 games (and another 13 in the playoffs).

A year ago, however, that number declined to 12 of 17 possible outings played. Smith is no longer the new kid on the block, either, having turned 27 in June. That means he should be entering his athletic prime, but he's only a couple of years away from a place where injuries potentially could catch up to him. That's relevant considering the Chiefs restructured his contract on Thursday, thus effectively keeping him in town through the 2028-29 season.

Even if the two-time Pro Bowler isn't at that 100% mark, he intends to be available for his team. That's part of the reason why he attempted to nip the summer hip issue in the bud and return to the starting five for Week 1's opener against the Denver Broncos on September 14.

For Smith, time missed means not supporting those around you.

"I just don't like putting my teammates out in a position where now they're having to take extra reps," Smith said. "For me, to leave my team hanging and not be at my best a lot of times, I'm a little hard-headed in that regard. If I'm not at my best, it's not the best thing for the team. Other guys are willing and able to do it, but I've always just sort of been a guy that's like, 'If I'm able to go, I'm going to try to go and give as much as I have regardless.'

"Once again, you're never going to feel 100% playing football, so it's just part of the job and part of the responsibility. Like EB (offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy) says, we signed up for it. At the end of the day, I signed a contract, so it's my job to be out there. A lot of times, if I'm not out there, I feel like I'm not doing my job and I'm letting my team down. For me and my coaches, that's just something [where] I don't like that feeling whatsoever."

Kansas City has some questions left to answer along the offensive line. Should Smith continue to have his arrow point in the right direction or at least stay neutral, that'd ease a concern or two. On the left side of the line, tackle Josh Simmons has a back problem that otherwise remains the storyline to keep an eye on with the regular season on the horizon.

Theories that Smith's comments were in any way tied to Simmons' situation are infinitely closer to irresponsible conspiracy than truth, in this writer's view. Still, it's worth noting from a health and durability standpoint that he responded the way he did.

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