The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to bounce back in 2026 after missing out on the playoffs. The biggest way for that to happen is to make sure Patrick Mahomes is upright when he drops back for a pass.
Left tackle Josh Simmons is a player who's going to be heavily leaned on, and he made some serious changes this offseason. According to Sam McDowell of the Kansas City Star, Simmons expressed that he's currently listed at 285-290 pounds, with the goal of being 300 pounds by Week 1.
Last year at the NFL Scouting Combine, Simmons was listed at 317 pounds, but he has used this offseason to slim down. But being lighter doesn't seem to faze head coach Andy Reid.
"He’s kind of a unique character, because he’s not a real big guy. That’s not what he is. But he’s extremely strong and very athletic, so you always talk about leverage as a coach, and he does a pretty good job with that. I think that helps him. He’s able to function that way last year, and I know he probably told that he’ll put on weight. But we’ll see. I don’t think that’s an absolute that has to take place, but he looked pretty good out here," Reid said.
McDowell pointed out that if Simmons stays at his current weight, he would be the lightest regular starting left tackle from the past five years, according to Pro Football Reference. But even if that's the case, Reid and Kansas City aren't pressed.
Andy Reid isn't bothered by Josh Simmons weight loss
Simmons spoke to reporters at the start of mandatory minicamp. He revealed that being available the entire offseason has helped him focus on his strength and conditioning. And that is major for him, as he missed four games as a rookie due to personal reasons before having to sit out another four games cause of a wrist injury. This comes after his last season at Ohio State was cut short due to a torn patellar tendon.
Instead of having to focus on rehab, he's been able to hone in on his craft, which led him to drop weight. Most offensive tackles easily surpass 300 pounds, so Simmons being under that number could be concerning for some fans, but from the way he has looked in practice thus far, he has excelled.
As Reid called out, being good at leverage as a lineman is key, and Simmons does a sound job at that. It also doesn't appear that the weight loss has impacted his strength, which is the main thing as an offensive lineman.
Of course, it'll be interesting to see how he looks when pads come on, but the Chiefs will certainly lean on him in his sophomore campaign. Last season, Kansas City gave up 35.5 percent quarterback pressure rates in six games. Simmons was sidelined for each of those outings.
Meanwhile, when Simmons played, he finished with a 62.7 overall grade (58th among 89 graded tackles) and a 75.5 pass-blocking grade (25th among 89 graded tackles) on Pro Football Focus. In eight games, he only allowed two sacks and 18 pressures.
Simmons flashed as a rookie, and the Chiefs are hoping they get 17 games out of him. He's made some changes to improve in 2026, and his weight loss being one of them doesn't seem to bother Reid one bit.
Add us as a preferred source on Google