Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons is expected to rejoin the team in a few weeks, according to ESPN. The rookie started the first five games of his career but missed the last two weeks with what was described as a “family situation.” He has not practiced this week and is reportedly set to miss at least one more game with the Chiefs set to host the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football.”
Simmons, the No. 32 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, returned home to California prior to the Chiefs’ Week 6 game and was ruled out on the availability report with a “personal” designation. Coach Andy Reid initially declined to comment on the situation but this week offered a positive update on his first-year offensive lineman.
“My update for you with Josh would just be, there’s communication,” Reid said. “I’m not going to get into all of it. Everything’s positive. It’s not a negative situation. He’s taking care of family.”
Simmons protects quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side, and in his absence, backup Jaylon Moore stepped into the lineup to handle the blocking duties in victories over the Detroit Lions and Las Vegas Raiders. When asked for comment on Simmons’ situation, Mahomes said he would keep things behind closed doors.
“I’ll keep conversations kind of between us,” Mahomes said last week. “But I’m always praying for him. I’m praying for all my teammates, so I’m always praying for him. I’ll just keep everything else kind of private to us.”
The Chiefs are 2-0 without Simmons and won their last two games by at least two scores. They racked up 30 points against the Lions and 31 points against the Raiders.
This is the second time in as many seasons that Simmons missed extended time. He sat more than half of his final year at Ohio State after he suffered a season-ending knee injury, but he still played a key role in the Buckeyes’ run to the national championship. Across his six games in the lineup, Simmons posted the lowest pressure rate (0.7%) of any tackle in the country with at least 100 pass-blocking snaps.