Returning Chiefs, Vol. 6: Creed Humphrey

The Chiefs are pretty good at this second-round Center thing. Creed Humphrey joins a list of notable Pro-Bowl Centers that have been drafted in round two by the Chiefs that includes: Chiefs Hall-of-Famer Tim Grunhard of the 90s, and Rodney Hudson and Mitch Morse of the early 2010s.

Creed Humphrey, drafted 63rd overall by Kansas City in 2021, might already be the best of the bunch. A Second-Team All-Pro selection and Super Bowl championship in 2022 definitely support that claim. Let’s not forget he’s only going into his third season in the NFL and only starting to come into his own as a leader and face of the franchise. He’s got plenty more years for classic moments. Who knows, he may have another Saturday Night Live invite in his future where they actually keep his awesome scene on the set.

Best of the Best

Creed gets plenty of love in Kansas City, but it doesn’t stop there. He’s legitimately been one of the best in the NFL at the Center position since his first snap as a rookie. Depending on who you ask, he’s been the best, but when you’ve got a living legend at the position like Jason Kelce still playing at a high level, you have to wait your turn for the top spot.

Humphrey has sure made a case, though. In two seasons, he hasn’t missed a game. He’s played over 1,500 pass-blocking snaps in his career and has allowed just one sack. It doesn’t get more solid than that up the middle. While he may have to wait to be rightly crowned the NFL’s king of the position, he’s contributing to a lot of wins, collecting some hardware, and tearing up red carpets on his way.

Continuity (cont’d.)

This topic will get redundant as we move through the interior OL, but it’s worth talking about each time for a couple of reasons:

1. As I’ve mentioned before, this is one of the only parts of the team that has some carryover. Most of the position groups on the roster have new faces and will be changing in some way this offseason. The continuity the Chiefs have will be important to start the season strong while integrating all the new pieces.

2. Each of the players on the interior OL has a different role and their presence on the roster is important for other reasons outside of the collective elite unit they form.

For instance, Creed Humphrey, along with Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones, Joe Thuney, and Tommy Townsend, gives the Chiefs another bonafide top player at his position. Having elite players like that all over the field swings games and the value of Creed Humphrey ascending to that level this early into his career, while still on his rookie contract, can’t be overstated.

Additionally, Humphrey has truly established himself as a fan favorite and honors like the PFF All-Pro 1st-Team and top rating, no matter if you fully agree with them on everything or not, will only continue to raise his star around the league. Add in the relationship he’s seemed to build with his MVP quarterback and it’s easy to see why fans can’t get enough of Creed.

I look forward to watching Humphrey continue to lead the Chiefs’ offensive line for years to come, starting with getting the two new tackles integrated this season in pursuit of the first back-to-back Super Bowl championships since 2004.