The horrors of the pressure Patrick Mahomes faced in Super Bowl LV will forever remain in the minds of Kansas City Chiefs fans. Mahomes spent most of that game scrambling and being helped off the turf from big hits.
In the ensuing offseason, the Chiefs’ brass decided to revamp the offensive line with young players via the draft. One of the young players was Oklahoma center Creed Humphrey, who was impressive in his rookie campaign, anchoring a much-improved line. Humphrey discussed his teammates in the trenches, who are informing his sophomore season and the high expectations they have heading into the new year.
“It’s nice having guys like Joe (Thuney), Orlando (Brown), Andrew (Wylie) on the line that has been in that position,” Humphrey told reporters on Monday. “They have come in that second year, have done that second year, so it’s been nice to talk them about it and everything. For me, it’s really just I’m continuing to focus on my game and try to get my weaknesses better and my strengths better, so really, that’s what I’m focused on right now in camp is improving how I play game.”
The Chiefs’ offensive line has come a long way since the struggles that plagued their 2020 Super Bowl run. The unit was recently ranked the best offensive line in the league by ESPN’s offseason metrics. The accolades haven’t stalled the competitive nature of each player, especially the hunger to get better during training camp.
“It’s been very competitive these past couple of weeks,” said Humphrey “We’ve had some hot days, really humid hot days; everybody’s been pretty moist out there just getting after it, though, competing every play. So it’s been really good. You kind of see the mental toughness of what we have in the group and what the defensive line has in the group, so it’s been really fun to see. We have some very talented guys who are also in love with the game, they want to continue to be great and become better, so it’s always a good thing when you have that in the room.”
Humphrey has quickly garnered respect on the team and around the league for his gritty play. He was snubbed for Pro Bowl and All-Pro spots last year, but he will again be on the radar for both accolades this season.