With the Kansas City Chiefs sitting at 5–4 and fresh off their bye week, the tension is high ahead of an important divisional clash against the Denver Broncos. While Patrick Mahomes and the offense will attempt to rediscover their rhythm after a 28–21 loss to the Buffalo Bills, attention has also shifted to their rookie left tackle, Josh Simmons, who’s back in the squad.

Chiefs Insider, Nate Taylor, weighed in on 96.5 The Fan, breaking down Simmons’ likely role and the broader offensive implications:

”Let’s be fair to Josh, whatever he’s dealing with personal, family wise, hopefully that’s been cleared up and he’s in a better situation…It was tough to even see someone like Trey Smith play through not being 100% with the Bills,” Taylor said. “I don’t know how quickly you can reactivate him [Simmons] to football shape. He’s not been practicing for almost a month now.”

The Chiefs have been without their first-round pick for the past four weeks. At the time, not much was said except that this was due to personal family reasons. His return, though, comes amidst other offensive injuries affecting the squad, such as Isiah Pacheco being ruled out and Jawan Taylor’s presence being doubtful.

Kansas City got a welcoming boost on Monday morning as Simmons officially rejoined the team, according to NFL insider Jordan Schultz. The rookie had been away since the beginning of October. Simmons’ reactivation of his Instagram page earlier this week already sparked speculation that a comeback is near. ESPN’s Nate Taylor later confirmed that the Chiefs had planned for his return during the bye.

”I think that’s the clearest path to him playing [starting] would be if Jawaan Taylor needs a few more weeks,” Taylor proposed. “You would slide Jaylen Moore to RT, you put Josh Simmons on LT and just see how he does in his first game back.”

According to the Chiefs’ website, Jawaan’s return is doubtful with an ankle injury.

”One of the reasons things fell apart offensively once Jawaan Taylor left, you put in Wanya Morris and Wanya Morris in clear passing situations is kind of a 50-50 player,” Nate Taylor continued. “Maybe against Denver, if something were to happen to Jawaan Taylor, if something happens to Jaylen Moore, you’d at least put in a higher caliber threshold of a player in Josh Simmons.”

Simmons’ rookie season began good enough, as he started the first five games of the 2025 NFL season. With that efficiency, Simmons’ reintegration into the lineup could be key for a Chiefs offense that has struggled at times to find rhythm and protect Mahomes.

Chiefs vs. Broncos: A clash of contrasting fortunes

As Kansas City prepares to face the Denver Broncos, the matchup looms as a pivotal test. On Thursday’s episode of ESPN’s First Take, analyst Dan Orlovsky declared that Denver is the team to beat in the AFC West.

“Broncos absolutely get after the quarterback,” Orlovsky said. “They have 40 sacks, which leads the NFL. The other thing is this, Bo Nix doesn’t get sacked… They only have nine sacks given up this year. That’s a 31 sack differential, which leads the NFL.”

At 8–2, the Broncos currently lead the division, boasting one of the league’s most well-rounded squads. Nix added 150 yards and a decisive touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders.

If Simmons’ return goes according to plan, Week 11 could see the Chiefs get back not just their rookie tackle but perhaps some consistency too.