For years, the Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to protect Patrick Mahomes' blind side. And just when it seemed like they had finally solved those woes, star rookie OT Josh Simmons started missing time.
The Ohio State product has missed the past couple of games while attending to what has been described as a personal matter. However, when asked about the situation with Simmons on Thursday, head coach Andy Reid shut down all concerns.
Andy Reid Says It's All Good With Josh Simmons
“My update for you with Josh would just be there’s communication,” Reid said, per Pete Sweeney of The Kansas City Star. “I’m not going to get into all of it. Everything’s positive. It’s not a negative situation. He’s taking care of family.”
Still, the Chiefs' head coach doesn't want to make any promises or talk about a potential return date. For now, all that matters is that the team has been in constant communication with their rookie, and he's doing what he needs to do right now:
“He’s taking care of business,” Reid said. “That’s the main thing right here. When you deal with this, that’s what you do — and he’s been very good about communicating it.”
Against all odds, Kansas City has looked quite good in his absence. Veteran free agent addition Jaylon Moore has held his ground in Simmons' absence, with Patrick Mahomes gushing about his work ethic.
“He’s done a great job,” Mahomes said of Moore. “He’s been ready. He comes to work every day — true pro. He comes to work with the mentality of being ready for that next snap. He’s done it all throughout training camp and now he’s done it in the regular season and that’s the reason he’s here.”
The Chiefs had all their skill players on the field for the first time in the 31-0 blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Getting Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Travis Kelce, and Marquise "Hollywood" Brown healthy at the same time worked wonders, and it should be a scary sight for the rest of the league.
Of course, they still need to make sure to keep Mahomes out of harm's way and give him a clean pocket. He's playing at an MVP level right now, and getting Simmons back on the field will be crucial come playoff time.
Stlil, a man's got to do what a man's got to do, and some things are just bigger than football.