Regardless of the emotions outside of Arrowhead Stadium, the only sentiments that truly matter are those belonging to the insiders. So as much as anyone has an opinion about left tackle Josh Simmons, the posture of Kansas City Chiefs decision-makers speaks volumes about their belief in him.
Since August 18, the Chiefs have suited up for several practices and two exhibitions (against the Buccaneers and Rams) without Simmons. The left tackle first missed a day of training camp activities in mid-August with a back injury that head coach Andy Reid insisted was a temporary concern in the moment. He's been out ever since, although he remains on the active roster (not IR). Temporary, as it turns out, means different things to different people.
As the Chiefs' season-opening salvo against the Denver Broncos creeps closer on the calendar, Simmons' ongoing absence has become more frustrating for fans. That's understandable, since a visit from Nik Bonnitto and company is a reality check for a line already facing very real questions about the line's other bookend (more on that below). Simmons' status is enough to send some fans over the edge before a new season begins, a sign of older days in which the worst was expected for a franchise that could never get over the hump.
Why the panic makes sense
Simmons' own past is the great amplifier of any inflated apprehension. His skill set and athletic profile were top-ten draft material, but he fell to the Chiefs at No. 32 overall for the same reasons that some fans already seem over the pick. At Ohio State, Simmons missed the end of the '24 season (his last) due to a torn patellar tendon. Then, in his rookie campaign, Simmons played only eight games, missing four games due to a wrist fracture and another four for a never-disclosed personal reason.
An oft-injured lineman missing half of his freshman season in the NFL is going to raise doubts coming into his second year. Then to see that same tackle returning at an alarmingly slight size, followed by him sitting out for two-thirds of the preseason slate with a back injury—it all adds up to a serious cloud of negativity. In a way, who can blame the naysayers?
A franchise that's earned the doubt
The Chiefs aren't helping their cause. This is the same franchise that termed Eric Berry as day-to-day and then week-to-week with a heel injury, only to see him play two games all season long (2018). So when Reid tries to shrug off Simmons' back injury as if he has the hiccups, it feels silly even in the moment. Nearly three weeks later, it looks irresponsible and misleading. It's natural for anyone listening to the Chiefs' press conferences to wonder how much they can even trust an injury report.
All of this makes the Chiefs' stance either heartening or maddening, depending on whether you're listening to what they say or watching what they do.
What they did, not what they said
The bluster outside of Arrowhead has reached a zenith. Some fans are projecting a lack of interest or heart onto Simmons, as if he's "taking it easy" and interpreting the media sessions of fellow linemen accordingly. Some fans are throwing darts Brett Veach photos wondering why the tackle options look like they do. But the Chiefs don't seem to be alarmed at all.
Consider this: the national media claimed the Chiefs needed serious offensive line help this offseason, and even mocked an offensive tackle (Spencer Fano, anyone?) to the Chiefs at No. 9 overall. Veach used the lineman talk as a smokescreen to hide the franchise's intense interest in corner Mansoor Delane. Diehard Chiefs fans laughed at the idea of tackle being a real need, but six months later, that idea doesn't seem so bad. But Veach's actions speak for themselves.
The very persons whose jobs depend on Josh Simmons to suit up and play are the same ones who gave themselves no more security when they had the chance. The Chiefs came into the offseason with Simmons and Jaylon Moore and little else behind them. Esa Pole's stock fell. Kahlil Benson's rose. But both were undrafted finds who looked their best in summer drills. Hell, the Chiefs even traded away Wanya Morris because they felt so good about their tackle situation.
Veach didn't sign a single offensive tackle in free agency. He didn't draft a single tackle in seven rounds. He floated Ethan Driskell and Chu Godrick from one offseason roster to the next and then went about bolstering other positions.
We'll see who was right
None of this is intended as a judgment on Veach's offseason. The only way to know whether a move (or lack of one) worked out or not is after the games are played. And the Chiefs still have to wait another week before the first of 17 is scheduled. Simmons could very well suit up and play 17 games this season, just like Reid insinuated that he would.
But it's interesting to note the difference. The torches and pitchforks in the hands of those assembled outside Arrowhead and the faith exhibited on the inside. Even if the masses think tackle is going to be a problem, Veach went the last six months acting like it wasn't. We'll see who is right in the end.
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