The Kansas City Chiefs were running on fumes down the stretch of the 2025 regular season, and if the team hopes to return to the playoffs in 2026 and Super Bowl glory that has defined the Patrick Mahomes era, multiple dominos are going to need to fall.
First, they have to hit on the majority of their rookies and free-agent signings. So far, that step looks promising, but the real test hasn't begun. Second, the Chiefs' top players are going to need to remain healthy, given how many roster deficiencies the organization faced heading into the 2026 offseason and the lack of depth at some positions that has persisted even after making several additions.
One area where the Chiefs and their fans have strong reason for optimism, assuming relative health, is the offensive line. However, where starting left tackle and second-year player Josh Simmons and his injured back are concerned, that might be a considerable assumption indeed.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated on Monday examined Simmons' health concerns in 2026 after the OT missed nine contests during his rookie campaign, four of which were due to personal reasons and the other five attributed to a wrist injury he sustained later in the season.
"Simmons is wildly talented, but he’s a smaller tackle who has to work to get to 300 pounds, and so the fact that his back pain has lingered to the point where he needed to get a second opinion is worth paying attention to," Breer wrote. "And while I don’t think it’s serious at this point, back issues can linger, and that’s where the question of depth takes center stage, particularly in a year Patrick Mahomes is coming back from a torn ACL and LCL."
Everybody except for Josh Simmons' body wants the $15 million star to be the next franchise left tackle, but injuries seem increasingly unavoidable
Gordon McGuiness of Pro Football Focus on August 12 dubbed Kansas City's offensive line the eighth-best unit in the NFL. And Simmons, playing the all-important left tackle position and entering the second season of his four-year, $15 million rookie contract, is obviously key to the group's collective success.
The depth behind the former Ohio State star is better than it was a few days ago after Brett Veach made two trades to acquire tackle/guard hybrid Joshua Ezeudu and 330 lb left tackle Diego Pounds. But neither guy has had enough time by any means in the system and playbook to be able to start Week 1 versus the Denver Broncos in a pivotal divisional matchup.
"Simmons looks good to go ahead of the 2026 season, coming off a rookie season in which he earned a 75.5 PFF pass-blocking grade on 367 pass-blocking snaps," McGuinness wrote. "His arrival allowed them to kick Kingsley Suamataia inside to left guard, where he earned a much more respectable 64.9 PFF grade on 1,090 snaps in his second year after earning a 37.9 PFF grade on 198 snaps as a rookie. They also have the best center in the league in Creed Humphrey, who has led all centers in PFF grade in four of his five seasons in the league."
One factor that McGuinness at least moderately overlooks, however, is the lack of depth that Breer mentioned. If Simmons struggles to stay on the field again this year, the Chiefs' efforts to bolster their explosive play rate out of the offensive backfield with new running back Kenneth Walker III could quickly derail.
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