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Josh Simmons was supposed to be part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ long-term plan. When the team selected him with the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the young offensive tackle represented the kind of foundational piece that contending franchises dream about: a big, athletic lineman who could protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side and help keep the Chiefs in contention for years. But the NFL has a way of humbling promise, and Simmons’ career has been anything but smooth since that moment. His rookie season was not the showcase he and the organization expected. He appeared in just eight games while quietly navigating personal off-the-field issues that were never really explained to the public. There were no dramatic headlines, no official statements, just a young man missing time and trying to hold his life together away from the stadium. Then, just as Year 2 was supposed to bring a fresh start, the struggles followed him back to the field. He has not played a single snap this season, and his path to returning just grew longer and more complicated after a difficult week that included a public clash with his head coach. For a first-round pick, the expectations are heavy enough. Add in the weight of playing for a franchise that has become the standard of excellence in the NFL, and Simmons’ early career has turned into a test of patience, pride, and resilience.
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The latest chapter in Simmons’ slow-burning professional drama unfolded before the Chiefs’ Sunday matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, during a team meeting that was supposed to be about preparation and focus. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, Simmons was sitting in the offense’s meeting room with his feet up when head coach Andy Reid told him to put them down. It was the kind of small, routine correction that happens in meeting rooms across the league every week. But Simmons did not just comply. He pushed back, telling Reid that he had to sit that way because his back and hips were aching. It was an explanation, yes, but it was also a challenge, and the tension in the room began to build. Reid, known for his calm but firm leadership, instructed Simmons to go get treatment from the athletic trainers if he was truly in pain. What should have ended there kept going. The back-and-forth became disruptive enough that the meeting was no longer about the game plan. That was when Patrick Mahomes intervened. The franchise quarterback, who is not usually one to raise his voice in these moments, echoed Reid’s sentiment and told Simmons to leave the room and go get treatment. It was a rare moment of public friction inside a building that operates with unusual discipline and order. Simmons left, but he did not leave the building. He stayed there, simmering, while the team he was supposed to protect went through the final motions of preparing for an opponent without him.
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Later that day, Simmons made the difficult walk back to his coaches and teammates. According to multiple people who were in the building, he apologized to Reid and to team leadership, acknowledging that he could have handled the situation much better. In that conversation, there was no excuse-making, no blame shifting, just the simple admission of a young player who let frustration get the better of him. Still, by the next day, the organization made a decision that felt as practical as it was symbolic: Simmons was placed on injured reserve because of the back issue he had mentioned during the meeting. Whether the injury was truly the main reason for the roster move or simply the one that made it easiest, the result was the same. Simmons would be forced to step away for at least four weeks. He will miss the Chiefs’ games against the Seahawks, Denver Broncos, New York Jets, and Atlanta Falcons. The earliest he can return is Week 11, when Kansas City travels to face the Arizona Cardinals on November 22. For a player who had already missed so much time, the injury report was another gut punch. But the emotional side of the week was just as heavy. The apology was an important first step, but it did not erase the image of a young lineman challenging his head coach in front of the entire offense, or needing to be dismissed by his quarterback. It was a moment of humility, one that Simmons will likely carry with him long after his back heals and the next opportunity arrives.
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Looking at the bigger picture, Simmons’ tenure in Kansas City has been defined by fits and starts. In the two seasons since the Chiefs drafted him, he has played in only eight of a possible twenty-two games. That is an alarming number for a player who was expected to stabilize a position of need. His rookie year was complicated by those personal off-the-field issues, which were never fully detailed but were serious enough to keep him out of action. Now his second season has been derailed by his body, by the kind of back and hip problems that can be especially troubling for an offensive tackle, a position that demands balance, leverage, and flexibility on every snap. It is not difficult to understand why Simmons might have felt defensive in that meeting. He is a young man dealing with pain, with the pressure of proving he belongs, with the frustration of watching his own career stall while his team rolls on without him. But the way he responded to Reid did not help his cause. In a locker room built on professionalism and mutual respect, the incident stood out as a sign of immaturity. The real struggle for Simmons is not just physical. It is the challenge of learning how to be a professional when everything feels like it is going wrong, and when every small setback feels like confirmation that the opportunity is slipping away.
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Even as Simmons deals with his own uncertainty, the Chiefs have found a way to move forward. In his absence, undrafted free agent Kahlil Benson has stepped into the starting left tackle spot and played remarkably well. Through the early part of the season, Benson has allowed just twelve pressures and five hurries on three hundred twenty-one offensive snaps, and he has not allowed a sack. For a player who was not even drafted, that kind of production is a dream come true. For the Chiefs, it is a timely answer to a potentially devastating problem. The offensive line has kept Mahomes clean more often than not, and the offense has kept rolling. But for Simmons, watching Benson handle the job so smoothly must add another layer of complexity to an already complicated emotional state. There is the sting of losing a starting spot to a player who was not supposed to be ahead of you. There is the quiet terror of watching someone else do your job better than you have been able to. And there is the reality that, in the NFL, opportunity is never guaranteed to return. Simmons has to know that his window is not closed, but it is narrowing. The Chiefs will not wait forever. If Benson keeps playing at this level, the team will face a difficult decision when Simmons is finally healthy. For now, Kansas City can be grateful that it has a reliable option at a critical position, but for Simmons, the emergence of an undrafted underman is a reminder of how quickly the league moves on.
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The road ahead for Josh Simmons is uncertain, but it is not empty. He has time to heal, time to think, and time to change the way he approaches his career. The injury is not considered season-ending, and the possibility of a return in Week 11 remains on the table. What happens after that will depend less on his physical condition and more on his ability to rebuild trust with the people around him. He has already apologized once, and the tone of that apology suggested he understands what he did wrong. But an apology is only the beginning. To truly turn things around, Simmons will need to show that he can handle discomfort without lashing out, that he can communicate his needs without challenging authority, and that he can be a reliable presence in a building filled with demanding personalities. The Chiefs have shown patience with him before, and they are known for giving young players every chance to develop, but that patience is not unlimited. Simmons was drafted to be a cornerstone, not a constant question mark. The talent is there. The physical tools are undeniable. What remains to be seen is whether he can grow into the kind of player and person who can withstand the pressure of playing for a Super Bowl contender. His NFL story is far from finished. The next chapter might be a redemption arc, or it might be another reminder of how quickly the sport leaves people behind. But in that uncertainty, there is also hope. Sometimes it takes a humbling moment to spark a transformation. For Josh Simmons, the hope is that this moment is the one that finally sets him on the right path.
