Josh Simmons was drafted 32nd overall a year ago to solve the Kansas City Chiefs‘ blindside problem, and for stretches last season he looked the part. Now, with Andy Reid unable to offer a recovery timeline for his lingering back injury and Kahlil Benson already getting first-team reps in his place, the Chiefs are staring down a familiar question just weeks before kickoff.

Outkick reporter Bobby Burack shared in an X post that a source told him about growing concerns in the team about Simmons’ injury.

“Some more info on Chiefs LT Josh Simmons from a source I developed last year covering his absence: “Chiefs initially had minimal concern. At least one of the parties is more concerned now. He will undergo more tests to see if it’s more serious.” Bizarre twist,” Burack posted on X.

It’s been more than a week now since Josh Simmons last practiced. The Chiefs left tackle picked up a back injury that kept him out of the team’s second preseason game against Tampa Bay, and at first, nobody seemed too worried about it.

This looked like the kind of thing that clears up in a few days and gets forgotten by Week 1. That hasn’t quite happened yet. With Kansas City’s final preseason tune-up against Seattle on Friday, Andy Reid finally addressed where things stand, and he still isn’t ready to put a date on Simmons’ return.

“He’s just getting his back checked out,” Reid said in Wednesday’s post-practice press conference. “That’s the main thing. He’s doing good when he’s in there. He’s just got a back. Like any other injury, we’ve got to make sure that it’s… see if it’s right or what’s wrong with it.”

It’s a cautious answer; not exactly a red flag, but not the reassurance fans were hoping for either.

For context on why this matters so much, you have to go back to last year’s draft. Kansas City took Simmons in the first round knowing full well he’d torn his patellar tendon during his final season at Ohio State.

The bet was on upside, and it partly paid off. When healthy, he flashed the tools that made him a first-round talent. But “when healthy” is doing a lot of work in that sentence. Between a family matter and a fractured wrist, Simmons only ended up starting eight games as a rookie.

Now heading into year two, the expectations around him have only grown. This was supposed to be the season Simmons locked down the blind side and became the long-term answer at left tackle. Instead, the Chiefs are once again playing the waiting game.

In the meantime, Kahlil Benson is getting the call to start at left tackle against the Seahawks. He’s currently the top backup on the depth chart, ahead of Esa Pole and Ethan Driskell, and Reid made it clear this start is as much about evaluation as anything else.

“He’ll be over there at left tackle this week, and we’ll see how he does with it,” Reid said of Benson on Wednesday.

Simmons wasn’t the only name that came up either. Reid also mentioned that running back Kenneth Walker is dealing with a swollen ankle, adding another concern to monitor on the Chiefs’ training camp radar right now.

Amid this growing web of Chiefs losing players to injuries, the biggest question mark remains Patrick Mahomes’ fitness.

Chiefs Uncertain on Patrick Mahomes as Josh Simmons Injury Lingers

Josh Simmons won’t suit up for Sunday’s preseason finale against Seattle, and the clock on Kansas City’s real season is ticking louder by the day. Just 18 days stand between the Chiefs and their Week 1 matchup with Denver, and there’s still no official word on whether Patrick Mahomes himself will be out there.

Judging by how he’s talking, though, Mahomes sounds like a guy who’s planning on it. He spoke about how he prefers to take the hits in preseason, which prepares him for Week 1.

“When you get that first hit, it almost kind of locks you into, all right, we’re playing football again, everything like that,” Mahomes said on August 25. “But I feel like the last few preseason games, we’ve been so good blocking and throughout these drives that I haven’t taken that hit. And so, it’ll be kind of that same type of experience.

“But at the end of the day, when we’re going into that Week 1, if I’m able to kind of get through this process and be able to play, we’ll be going up against one of the best defenses in the league. And so, I’ll have to be ready to go no matter what it is.”

But while he rests, rookie QB Garrett Nussmeier is proving his worth in the preseason and will start against the Seahawks, and potentially play the full game, as Reid disclosed on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the front office isn’t sitting still on the line front. Kansas City swung a trade for Joshua Ezeudu, bringing in some extra depth from the New York Giants.

Simmons has definitely looked the part when healthy. But staying that way for 17 games is still the open question.