Josh Simmons’ future with the Chiefs looks shakier than ever. Ahead of the Broncos game, Andy Reid and the team placed Simmons on injured reserve, which is raising major red flags about his future.
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“Then he was placed on injured reserve, and there are a lot of questions about Josh Simmons, who has as talented a left tackle as you could possibly get; he is a stud as a player,” ESPN’s Ian Rapoport said on Big Day with Peter Schrager. “I don’t know if he plays for the Chiefs again. I don’t know when he plays for the Chiefs again. There’s nothing more important than protecting Patrick Mahomes. You have to believe in the person doing it, and until that happens, I don’t know that he’s out there.”
The concern rose from possible disagreement between Simmons, Patrick Mahomes, and Andy Reid. As per ESPN, Josh Simmons was asked to leave a team meeting on Wednesday following an alleged disagreement with head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Simmons was sitting with his feet up because of his back injury. Reid asked him to put his feet down, but Simmons explained that his back was hurting. Reid then told him to visit the medical staff if he could not sit properly.
The discussion continued, and Mahomes told Simmons to leave the meeting and get treatment instead of interrupting the team. Simmons left the room and later apologized to Reid and the team’s leadership for how he handled the situation.
Simmons’ absence has been a talking point for the Chiefs this season. Now on injured reserve, the left tackle has to be away for at least four games. He was reported to have been dealing with a bulging herniated disc and has yet to take his first snap this season.
Simmons was expected to be the starting left tackle this year, after missing significant time last year due to some personal issues and fracturing his wrist. This was supposed to be his prove-it year. However, what was supposed to be a promising second season has also been marred by this issue.
In his place, the Chiefs have been starting Kahlil Benson.
The Chiefs have been managing so far without Simmons. But this disciplinary incident might have led some to believe his time with the Chiefs might be cut short. However, Andy Reid has dismissed those rumors.
Andy Reid says meeting incident did not lead to Simmons’ IR designation
Reid later talked about the situation also after their loss against the Seahawks.
“Things happen,” Reid said. “That’s no reason he was put on IR. He’s got a bad back. He’s got to get that worked out. That’s the main thing.”
The Chiefs initially tried to help Simmons recover through rehabilitation instead of surgery. A second MRI showed that his disc had improved, and he eventually returned to limited practice in October.
Rick Burkholder, the team’s vice president of sports medicine and performance, explained that Simmons had reached a point where his recovery was no longer improving enough.
But along with that, he has also praised Simmons ‘ efforts towards recovery.
“Josh worked his tail off,” Burkholder said. “He worked diligently with my staff every day and has improved to the point where he returned to practice in a limited capacity last week. He’ll continue with the rehab process with the goal of returning to play at a high level that he achieved in the past.”
Simmons can perhaps expect to return in the latter part of the season, but he will join an offensive line that has developed some problem areas. Benson has allowed zero sacks, but he has given up 16 total pressures in pass protection, per PFF. His pass-protection grade is at 46.5, ranking 68th among 71 qualified offensive tackles.
Jaylon Moore, who is also out with an injury, has allowed three sacks and nine pressures in pass protection.
The Seahawks clash was bad beyond expectation, particularly for Mahomes. Kansas City posted the fewest points (3), yards (213) and first downs (11) against Seattle, the fewest numbers in any of the QB’s starts for the Chiefs, per NFL researcher Tony Holzman-Escareno. The Seattle defense eliminated the run game for Kansas City, and forced them to play unsteadily through the air. Mahomes was sacked and intercepted once each.
Kansas City will want Simmons to return and play at his healthiest. If that does not seem to be the case, he will spend more time away, thereby threatening his future with the team.