Two Early Chiefs Candidates for Protector of the Year Honors

The NFL has introduced the Protector of the Year Award, which will be given to the league's best offensive lineman for the year. The award is one that has been long awaited, and it should be a fun storyline to watch all season long across the league.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, this award will allow several offensive linemen to be showcased more throughout the year as they look to better protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes compared to last season. Luckily for the Chiefs, they have several candidates up and down the depth charts.

From the likes of 2025 first-round draft pick Josh Simmons to a player like Kingsley Suamataia looking to solidify their role on the offensive line, the Chiefs are stacked with potential candidates. However, two players jump off the page for the award: center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith.

Smith was selected for his first Pro Bowl last season as Humphrey became a First-Team All-Pro for the first time. Their stellar offensive line performances have elevated them to new heights. So much so, Smith got franchise-tagged earlier this offseason to keep him around for the 2025 season. Alongside Humphrey, the two have competed in 67 regular-season games with each other.

Their size and ability to stay on the field will only benefit them throughout the season to be considered for the award. The winner will be decided by a panel that includes several former offensive linemen, given that they know the importance and hard work it takes to succeed in this role.

Dion Dawkins, an offensive lineman for the Chiefs' AFC rivals, the Buffalo Bills, had a major part in the creation of the award. He spoke about the importance of offensive lineman and the hard work it took to creating the award on the Rich Eisen Show.

"It's a cool deal to put thoughts in the air and then grab it and put it on paper," Dawkins said. "It's been a long time coming. We've been working on this for a little while. A lot of meetings, a lot of Zooms, a lot of time away, a lot of figuring out how this is going to go. But, we got it done: Protector of the Year."

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