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On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs took the field for their first practice of 2025 training camp. Of the 91 players in attendance, there is perhaps no player more deserving of attention than first-round rookie Josh Simmons.<\/p>\n
After the Chiefs selected Simmons out of Ohio State with the No. 32 overall pick in this year\u2019s draft, the almost immediate consensus was that Kansas City had pulled a grand heist on the rest of the NFL. Simmons was considered a likely top-10 pick had it not been for his college injury.<\/p>\n
The choice is already paying dividends in St. Joseph, as Simmons was a full participant on Day 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe did some good things,\u201d said head coach Andy Reid. \u201cHe worked in there with the [first-team offensive line] and did a nice job, I thought. He\u2019s got things he\u2019s got to work on, but you keep doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor underwent cleanup surgery on his knee after the 2024 season, limiting him for organized team activities (OTAs) and sending him to the physically-unable-to-perform<\/em> (PUP) list to start the summer session.<\/p>\n Because of that, Simmons took every rep at left tackle while new veteran signee Jaylon\u202f Moore manned the right tackle position. Quarterback Patrick\u202fMahomes liked what he saw in Simmons\u2019 first camp reps.<\/p>\n \u201cI think he\u2019s done a great job,\u201d said Mahomes. \u201cYou see the talent, obviously. You see the physical ability. But I think more than that, the way he\u2019s worked. I got to see him working through the rest of his rehab process and then working on the field. He\u2019s done a great job with that, and then learning. He\u2019s getting tested every single day with [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] and being able to pick up blitzes and do all different types of stuff, as well as go get some great pass-rushers. I\u2019m excited for the future that he has.\u201d<\/p>\n In the months leading into camp, the prospect of Simmons earning the starting job as a rookie has shifted from what was once thought to be far-fetched into a genuine reality. Because of that, Mahomes has continued to stress communication with the 22-year-old \u2014 both on and off the field.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s why we sit in the film room and we talk through these things,\u201d said the quarterback. \u201cI\u2019m talking to the whole O-line, and we have to all be on the same page. And I think it\u2019s going to help him a lot that Creed [Humphrey\u2019s] there and Trey [Smith] and some of these veteran guys that know kind of how I talk and what I mean when I say stuff, as well as just us meeting together and having that communication. Like I say every training camp, the best test you\u2019re going to get is against Spags. So going up against him, seeing those blitzes, communicating, that\u2019s going to help us a lot as we get to the season.\u201d<\/p>\n During his turn at the podium, Smith shared some of the advice he is providing Simmons.<\/p>\n \u201cJust go to work,\u201d said Smith. \u201cJust apply everything you can to your game. It\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint. Everything\u2019s not going to come at once. It\u2019s going to take time to develop those habits. St. Joe\u2019s one of the hardest training camps in the NFL. It\u2019s going to be miserable every single day. Just get used to it, man.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, you\u2019ve just got to keep fighting. You\u2019ve got to keep punching. You\u2019ve got to keep swinging day after day after day, just stacking and building. When the season comes around, you\u2019re ready.\u201d<\/p>\n After turning his sixth\u2011round beginnings into the richest guard deal ever, Smith would know.<\/p>\n And you could bet Simmons is listening.<\/p>\n The kids at camp had a very important question for Carson Steele this morning #ChiefsKingdom<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/pentqorOCF<\/a><\/p>\n — McKenzie Nelson (@McKenzieMNelson) July 22, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\nInjury report<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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