Josh Simmons' timeline gained some clarity on Wednesday. While the Kansas City Chiefs are still holding him out of practice to start a new week of prep, the team's left tackle is on the mend and will return as soon as Thursday for at least some level of practice activity.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid opened his remarks to the press with injury updates and had good news for Simmons, even if an official return date from a back ailment isn't yet available. "Josh [Simmons] won't practice today. He is getting better, but he won't go today. Tomorrow, he's gonna do some stuff. Ready to gonna ease him back in to the next...," said Reid.
Waiting for Simmons for a while
Reid never finished that sentence of what is "next", but the mention of Thursday's return at least provides some actual details to what has been a very nebulous injury from the beginning. Simmons first sat out of training camp practice on August 18 and went on to miss the team's final two preseason games. However, all the while, Reid was insistent that the back concern was minor and that the team was not worried about it.
Two weeks after the preseason ended, the Chiefs took the field against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football without Simmons protecting Patrick Mahomes' blindside. Instead, it was rookie free agent Kahlil Benson, a rookie free agent signing who'd never played the position even collegiately at Indiana. The experiment worked well, as Benson has performed admirably in Simmons' absence, but the team's thin at the position, and Simmons would be a major upgrade when healthy.
When Simmons might return?
If Simmons is a limited participant in practice on Thursday, it's possible the Chiefs are ramping him up for a weekend appearance against the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. The team takes to the road for the first time on Sunday after consecutive home games to start the season. If Simmons is unable to go on Sunday, then it's possible that "easing him in" could signal a Week 4 return to face the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. That would give him a chance to face a rival, and the two teams are unexpectedly tied atop the AFC West after two games.
What happens with Benson?
As for Benson, Reid had good things to say on Wednesday about his debut. "Listen, he's done a nice job. We're early in and he's one of the young guys. But for what we're asking him to do, he's done a heckuva job. Every week's a new week, and the more people are able to study him, then you're gong to get different looks and you've got to be able to answer that. When you're new in the league that's what you get. So how you handle that is important."
When Simmons' returns, it will be interesting to see whether the team slides him over to the right side to compete with Jaylon Moore as a potential starter or whether they view him as a swing tackle. But what's clear is that Simmons is getting ready to return and that the Chiefs have more at the position than anyone might have believed in the preseason.
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