The Kansas City Chiefs began their mandatory mini-camp on Tuesday, and 2025 first-round pick Josh Simmons spoke to the media. His new look and words made it clear he intends to be the best left tackle in the NFL.
Last year, Josh Simmons dealt with a lengthy absence attributed to a personal matter, followed by a wrist injury that ended his rookie season. It was a trying rookie season, and not everyone bounces back from those circumstances, but Simmons appears on track to resume his career with new vigor.
In speaking to the media on Tuesday, he looked chiseled, focused, and like a man on a mission to become the game’s premier left tackle. Now he has a ways to go to be in the class of San Francisco 49ers left tackle Trent Williams, but he’s a decade younger than the wily veteran – so he has time.
If we’re being honest, Simmons came to the Chiefs because he fell hard in the first round. An injury at Ohio State cast uncertainty over whether he would be ready for the regular season.
Though some reports indicated he would be, others surfaced suggesting he could be a mid-year candidate to return. Further, a few character rumors that never came to light caused NFL General Managers to back off Simmons in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
However, Simmons and the Chiefs remained in contact, and in the end, they took him with the 32nd pick. After an extensive rehab, despite the Chiefs signing veteran Jaylen Moore to be the team’s starting left tackle, Simmons opened camp as the starting left tackle.
He kept that job until he departed the team early in the season to handle a family matter. Details were scarce, and Andy Reid kept his best to remain calm about the situation, but the truth was that Kansas City had no choice but to support Simmons.
After a month away to resolve family issues, he returned to the Chiefs and started every game until an injury and surgery ended his rookie season.
Looking back, Simmons’s path was complex, but he dedicated himself to getting into the best shape of his life and to becoming the left tackle both he and the Chiefs envisioned.
This season, Simmons will line up next to Kingsley Suamataia, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and either second-year man Esa Poke or the aforementioned Moore at right tackle.
With Patrick Mahomes coming off a serious injury and defying the odds to be ready by opening day, the importance of a healthy offensive line is paramount to any success the Chiefs will have on offense this season.
Simmons might be the key to that, and it’s clear in his demeanor that he’s ready for the challenge ahead. He also knows that new Offensive Coordinator Eric Bieniemy has a clear plan, and, as Simmons stated, he was ready to run through a wall for his coach and understands the task ahead.
The Chiefs are hell-bent on returning to form this season, and despite a very difficult schedule, Simmons could be the key to addressing the inconsistency the offensive line showed in 2025.
Granted, some of those issues were caused by injuries, but losing Simmons twice last year had as much to do with that outcome as anything that took place – on or off the field.
Now, Simmons can change that narrative, and it appears he’s on his way to doing just that.
