Availability is Chiefs OG Trey Smith's first goal as he tries to play all 17 games again

Published September 3, 2026 04:06 PM Chiefs right guard Trey Smith started 67 of a possible 68 regular-season games in the first four years of his career. He missed five games last season with back spasms and ankle injuries.In the eighth practice of training camp, Smith’s hip began bothering him.He finally returned to the practice field Aug. 24 and started the Chiefs’ preseason finale against the Seahawks.“I just don’t like putting my teammates in a position where now they’re having to take extra reps or for me to leave my team hanging and not being at my best,” Smith said Thursday, via Pete Sweeney of the Kansas City Star. “A lot of times I’m a little hardheaded in that regard, because if I’m not at my best, it’s not the best thing for the team. There are other guys that are willing and able to do it. But I’ve just always 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.’”Smith acknowledged that no NFL player will feel 100 percent at any point in the season. He wants to be healthy enough to do his job week in and week out.“It’s just part of the job and part of the responsibility,” Smith said. “And like [Eric Bieniemy] says, ‘Hell, we signed up for it.’ So at the end of the day, I signed a contract, so it’s my job to be out there. A lot of times I’m not out there, I feel like I’m not doing my job and letting my team down and . . . [letting down] me, my coaches. And that’s just something [where] I don’t really like that feeling whatsoever.”