Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons has been one of the more closely watched players in camp this summer, and for understandable reasons. The second-year offensive tackle is coming off a shortened rookie season, and Kansas City is counting on him to be a reliable long-term answer on quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side. But at training camp, Simmons is getting the attention for wrong reasons.

ChiefsDigest’s Matt Derrick shared a clip from Saturday’s practice and described the sequence as Simmons “choosing violence.” The clip spread fast among Chiefs fans, mostly because of how aggressively Simmons finished the block. As defensive end Tyreke Smith ran at him, Simmons gripped Smith by the shoulders and literally tossed him aside. The DE was airborne for maybe a second.

“Yea, will never get on board with these,” Former Chiefs OT Mitchell Schwartz wrote on X, reacting to the clip. “I know he’s prob proving a point and tensions seem to be elevated this morning, but this isn’t good, smart, or tough OL play. Win the rep, dominate him, slam him to the ground, great. Throwing em into the QB’s knees at 7 yards is worthless.”

This is not the first time Simmons was involved in a fight. Last year, he got into an altercation with Ashton Gilotte in training camp; teammates and coaches had to step in to separate the two.

This year, the Simmons-Smith incident joins those between Kenneth Walker III and Alohi Gillman, and FAU and Kingsley Suamataia. Head coach Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes had to intervene in the latter fight. Even though neither clash lasted more than a few moments, it does draw unnecessary attention on a team working its way back from an uncermonious 6-11 finish.

On the flip side, the Chiefs could put that fire to good use. The offensive line gave up 36 sacks in just 14 games last year, resulting in Patrick Mahomes’ second-highest sack total. Simmons, sidelined with a wrist injury after eight games last year, is expected to play a bigger role this year.

Pro Football Focus tracked 526 offensive snaps from Simmons in 2025, giving him an overall grade of 62.7. Pass protection was where he held up best, grading at 75.5 and ranking 25th among 89 qualified tackles. But in the eight games he played, Simmons allowed 2 sacks and 18 pressures. His run game needed massive work, which posted a 48.1 blocking grade.

Those numbers are exactly why the Chiefs are not treating Simmons like someone just fighting to make the roster. He is already projected as the starting left tackle entering 2026, considering the massive change already visible in him.

Josh Simmons’ Second Season Carries Much Bigger Expectations

Simmons has been working on his body in this 2026 offseason. In June, he told reporters that he had been around 285-290 pounds and wanted to reach roughly 300 pounds by training camp. Head coach Andy Reid supported the idea of adding strength, but cautioned Simmons about adding “cheeseburger weight.”

Now, we see a bigger Josh Simmons, with the right kind of strength.

“He put on weight in the offseason,” Reid said. “He’s been able to maintain it, and I think it’ll help him. Not that he couldn’t do it at the other weight, but this gives him a little bit more lead in his pants. And yeah, it pays off for you over time. It pays off for you during the season.”

That athleticism is a big part of why Kansas City has remained excited about Simmons. He was already considered one of the better tackle prospects entering the 2025 draft before a knee injury cut short his final season at Ohio State. The Chiefs ultimately took him at No. 32, and he immediately stepped into a starting role.

Simmons is looking forward to continuing where he left off.

“I’m just trying to add off of last year,” Simmons told the press recently. “Obviously, I went against a lot of good D-ends, and I have one year of familiarity with the playbook. So it’s really just kind of stacking up on that. That way I can come into training camp ready physically, just get your body right for this process and transformation.”

Simmons is entering Year 2 with a chance to finally play a full season and establish himself as Mahomes’ long-term protector on the left side. The Chiefs have plenty of reasons to believe he can do it. But Schwartz’s message is also pretty simple: being nasty in the trenches is valuable, but knowing when and where to stop matters just as much.