Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons remains absent from the team with no clear timeline for his return, leaving one of the NFL's most important positions in the hands of an undrafted rookie and creating uncertainty around the protection of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Simmons, the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 draft, has played in just eight of 20 games since joining the Chiefs. He missed his first practice of the season on Aug. 18 with a back injury, and initial reports indicated he was fine. But he has not practiced since, and he has missed the first three games of the season. The Chiefs are 3-0, but the offense has shown signs of missing Simmons' stability at left tackle.
Khali Benson, an undrafted rookie right tackle who played exclusively on the right side in college, has filled in for Simmons. Benson showed clear limitations in Sunday's win over the Dolphins, with the team's own highlights package showing defenders beating him almost immediately off the line of scrimmage.
Head coach Andy Reid offered a vague update on Monday when asked about Simmons' status. «I will let you guys know when Josh is coming back,» Reid told Chiefs Digest reporter Matt Derrick. «I'll be the first to tell you. So we'll just see how that all works out.» The response contrasted sharply with Reid's more direct comments about safety Chamarri Conner, who has also missed the first three games. Reid said Conner practiced last week and has a good chance to play soon.
The lack of information is unusual in a league where insiders compete to deliver minute-by-minute injury updates. Simmons' situation has been shrouded in mystery since his college career at Ohio State, where he suffered a season-ending patellar tendon injury in October 2024. After the season, reports indicated he was ahead of schedule in his recovery. The Chiefs selected him with the final pick of the first round.
A week after the draft, Simmons was active for rookie minicamp. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported that the injury did not cause Simmons to fall in the draft. The concern was his character. «Several teams agree: Josh Simmons had best tape of any OT last year,» Fowler posted on X on April 24, 2025. «And they aren't very concerned with recovery on the torn patella tendon. More of the concern is maturity/character. But he's going to the ideal, veteran-laden place.»
It remains unclear what those character concerns were, but they had to be substantial for nearly every team to pass on a left tackle with elite tape who had been cleared for contact by draft night. For the first month of last season, it appeared the Chiefs had taken advantage of the rest of the league's hesitation. Simmons looked like the long-term answer to Kansas City's chronic left tackle problem. That reading no longer holds.
On Oct. 6, 2025, two hours before the Chiefs' Monday Night Football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team abruptly listed Simmons as questionable due to an illness. He played and played well. Days later, after a full week of practice, Simmons did not show up for his pregame responsibilities the following Sunday against the Lions. Players and staff were reportedly unsure of his whereabouts. After the game, Reid suggested he knew where Simmons was, but the team offered almost no explanation afterward.
The silence continued throughout much of Simmons' four-game absence, which the team described only as a personal or family issue. Last month, Sports Illustrated's Matt Verderame provided the first substantive report, saying Simmons left the team without approval the Saturday before the Lions game and that there was a period when the team did not know where he was. The Chiefs have declined to confirm, deny, or comment on the matter.
Now, after a full training camp, Simmons' absence continues. Verderame initially reported that Simmons was fine after missing practice on Aug. 18, but it is now late September and Simmons has not practiced since. Though the team says he has been in the building, he is clearly not fine. Reid's latest comments suggest the team may not know when Simmons will return, or whether he will return at all this season.