There was never a question about Josh Simmons’ ability on the O-line. Even before he stepped on the field in his final college year, the consensus was that he would be an O-line star taken in the first round. But even in his senior year, there was still one thing holding him back, and in the grand scheme of things, it could be the factor that determines whether he stays on with the Chiefs. 

Due to injuries and personal troubles, Simmons has played just eight of 20 games in two seasons. At the moment, it looks like even coach Reid is frustrated, and there could be more than what the team is letting on, per Clint Switzer, Starcade Media’s founder. 

“It’s clear that Andy Reid and likely the entire Chiefs coaching staff has become frustrated (to say the least) by this Josh Simmons situation,” Starcade Media gave their perspective on X. “They could have easily put Simmons on IR to start the season and many are speculating that this goes beyond dealing with a back injury.”

Switzer’s comments come on the back of Andy Reid’s most recent update around the OT. While the team has confirmed that Simmons is in the building, he has been deemed not to be “fine” and has been reportedly out due to a lingering back injury. 

“ I’ll tell you what,” Reid told Chiefs Digest reporter Matt Derrick. “I will let you guys know when Josh [Simmons] is coming back. I’ll be the first to tell you. So we’ll just see how that all works out.”

We get why Reid is frustrated. Simmons has been out since preseason kicked off in August, and his spot in the O-line was the topic of discussion for a while, especially with Mahomes coming back after an ACL injury. And sure, undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson has taken up the spot well, but Simmons’ patterns could be troubling for the team. 

Many have reported believing that the real problem isn’t Simmons’ back, but his attitude and character, and that stems from way back before he was even drafted as the No. 32 overall first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by the Chiefs. Simmons was also injured before the NFL Draft, but teams weren’t really worried about it; they had issues with something else.

“Several teams agree: Josh Simmons had best tape of any OT last year. And they aren’t very concerned with recovery on the torn patella tendon,” Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported in late April, 2025. “More of the concern is maturity/character. But he’s going to the ideal, veteran-laden place.”

Nonetheless, the Chiefs still went with him, and it worked well for almost the first half of the season, but then things started to change. Simmons didn’t show up for the pregame responsibilities against the Detroit Lions and was absent for four games, which the team reported were due to undisclosed family issues and personal reasons. Simmons ended up missing nine games last season, including his time out due to a wrist injury.

Just last month, Sports Illustrated’s Matt Verderame came up with some more details of Simmons ‘ absence during that time, stating that the “team didn’t know where he was” after he left the city on Saturday, a day before the game took place.

New reports suggest that this “attitude problem” has come back. With no clear answers given by the team, the fans have started speculating and raising questions.

Fans are NOT taking Josh Simmons’ “unavailable” saga lightly

The Chiefs have gone 3-0 in the league so far, recently defeating the Miami Dolphins 24-10. While these wins surely relieved the fans, their favorite QB did have to get some of his bones “cracked,” as Reid thought, when he took a big hit from Dolphins edge Chop Robinson on the Chiefs’ 5-yard line. This had made the fans worry about Mahomes, making them increasingly furious over the situation.

With his character and attitude being one of the reasons for his absence, one Bobby Burack of OutKick has written, “‘The Chiefs have deduced that rampant speculation about Josh Simmons’ character is less damaging than telling the truth about his situation.’ My column on why the Chiefs owe it to Simmons and their fans to explain or remove him from the active roster.”

Another fan was doubtful of Simmons even returning to play a game, commenting, “As I stated yesterday in a different thread…I doubt he’s coming back anytime soon. If/when he does, he’ll go right back out again.” She added that Simmons has been finding reasons not to play for the Chiefs, throwing shade at last season’s events.

One fan even went so far as to say Simmons’ absence is some sort of “psychological breakdown,” adding that if he were “really injured, he would’ve been on IR.” He ended the comment by saying that Simmons is a “b***.”

Part of that comes from the fact that the Chiefs could have put him on the injured reserve list, as a player needs to sit for four games before he can play again after being put on the list, but they didn’t do so. 

Another fan simply commented, “Have to be a little perturbed,” on the ongoing situation.

It is certainly a problem that is coming to light as the days pass, and Reid doesn’t know what to tell the media, although he has a reputation for not being so vocal about the team’s concerns in the public eye.

For now, it is unclear if Simmons will be available for the Week 4 game of Kansas against their AFC West rivals, the Las Vegas Raiders, who are also undefeated right now, being 3-0 as well.