The hope turned into hype early on for Josh Simmons. It’s now turning into a reality for the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs selected Simmons at No. 32 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The hope was that the Ohio State star would be able to rebound from a torn patellar injury that robbed him of his final season for the Buckeyes after watching his draft stock slide from top-10 status.
Simmons was immediately inserted into the first-team unit during offseason training activities, with quotes from the team’s coaches and trainers saying all the right things about Simmons’ condition and work ethic. Some maturity concerns were a part of the draft “risks” surrounding Simmons, so the early signs were quite a positive development for K.C.
Getting the Josh Simmons pick right would be the story of the year for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Now that training camp has begun, the hype around Simmons has reached its zenith. Former players are calling him the real deal, while Simmons looks the part in practice to those in St. Joseph.
NFL reporter Jordan Schultz has taken things a step further, saying that a source is telling him that Simmons is “on track” to be the team’s starting left tackle right out of the gate.
Spoke to a #Chiefs source today about rookie Josh Simmons. The team has been impressed with him all summer, and he’s on track to start at left tackle in Week 1, protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.
Simmons fell to pick No. 32 due to a patella injury, but the Chiefs had no… pic.twitter.com/KtNlQEKAWG
https://twitter.com/Schultz_Report/status/1949940426695147707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The Chiefs rotated through four starters last season due to injury or performance concerns last season while trying to keep Patrick Mahomes protected. Kingsley Suamataia was slotted for the role as a rookie himself for the first two games of the year, but he was benched and Wanya Morris took over. D.J. Humphries was signed to fill in for Morris after an injury but he was sidelined himself with a hamstring issue. Left guard Joe Thuney eventually slid over to tackle to finish out the regular season and entire postseason.
Last season wasn’t the first year the Chiefs struggled to find a long-term left tackle. In fact, it’s an issue that stretches back to the loss of Eric Fisher to injury. A blockbuster trade for Orlando Brown Jr. gave them a short-term option. Draft investments into Morris, Suamataia, and Lucas Niang failed to reap the hoped-for dividends. Donovan Smith has also served as a stopgap.
That makes Simmons’ potential arrival onto the scene such a thrilling proposition. He’s a tackle with a truly elite ceiling who could stop years of searching and/or bleeding at a pivotal position. The fact that he’ll be doing so at a fraction of the typical cost for such a performance is even more incredible. Of course, none of this is reality quite yet, but the Chiefs are closer than ever to solving their biggest roster need.
Schultz’s latest report is yet another piece of evidence pointing to the same conclusion: that the Chiefs have it right at left tackle. Josh Simmons was the gift that fell into their laps during the 2025 NFL Draft, and it might turn into the story of the year if he helps the Chiefs offense bounce back to its former glory.
