Arrowhead Pride Midseason Awards: The Chiefs’ Special Teams MVP

(Photo by Alika Jenner/Getty Images) | Getty Images There are eight games in the books — with nine more to go. The Kansas City Chiefs’ 2026 season reaches its midpoint in Week 10. Because the team’s bye came so early in Week 5, we have decided to move our annual awards to midseason.Nine members of the Arrowhead Pride writing staff each had one vote for our seven midseason awards, so nine votes will be tallied for each award.So far, we’ve awarded:Most Improved Player: DB Chris Roland-WallaceTop Defensive Rookie: CB Mansoor DelaneProtector of the Year: RG Trey SmithTop Offensive Rookie: LT Kahlil BensonIn this post, we’ll reveal the top special teams player:P Matt AraizaVOTING: Matt Araiza (8), James Winchester (1)On some NFL squads, special teams could feel like an afterthought. In Kansas City, a strong tradition of explosive kick and punt returns has changed the team’s fortunes. The Chiefs have also boasted some of the best kickers and punters in the league over the past 30 years– along with some of the most painful missed field goals in NFL history. Expectations are always high for the third phase in KC, as evidenced by the influence and stature of special teams coordinator Dave Toub. It’s certainly been an up-and-down season (or two, or three) for Uncle Dave’s group, making this a challenging operation to evaluate– or even understand. They’ve got a struggling kicker, a controversial kicker on the practice squad, and have a number of costly penalties seemingly every week. We could choose a special teams player of the year in 2026 via process of elimination. Returner Nikko Remigio has been releasedNobody has stood out as a star on coverage ( they’ve been fine)James Winchester is a solid long snapper (but it’s hard to judge his impact on a game)And the kicker is – Harrison Butker. That really only leaves two viable options: Emmett Johnson– who has just started to come on as a kick returner OR punter Matt Araiza, who is statistically among the league leaders at his position this year.Through eight games, Araiza has punted 25 times for 1,270 yards, averaging 50.8 yards per punt. His longest punt of the season is a 69-yard boot, and he’s placed 12 punts inside the 20-yard line.His AFC Special Teams Player of the Week performance came in the Week 4 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Araiza punted five times, and all five landed inside the 20-yard line– most impressive was the one downed at the Raiders’ 1-yard line by Xavier Nwankpa and Emmett Johnson. But Araiza’s fake punt on the first drive of the game, converting on a 4th and 4 from their own 35, is the play that we’ll all remember (even if the offense did nothing with it, turning it over on downs at the 50). The punter formerly known as “punt god” was known for highlight reel bombs in college. But, Araiza has apparently worked hard to be a complete player at his position. He’s improved his touch and directional kicking, resulting in a career-best yards-per-punt average thus far. Is Araiza the Chiefs’ most valuable special teams player through the first half of the season? Let us know in the comments.