For weeks now, Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons has not participated in practices due to a mysterious back injury that remains unexplained. While Simmons went to get a second opinion last week, no news came of it, and rumors among the fanbase began to grow about his prolonged absence.
The angst around Simmons didn't just start this summer. Last year, leading up to the NFL Draft, the internal discussion around Simmons revolved not around concerns over his recovery from a torn patellar tendon. In fact, Simmons returned in timely fashion and, when on the field, looked like a guy who had multiple Pro Bowl selections in his future.
Instead, the concerns around Simmons were about his maturity and character. While it's hard for us as fans to quantify that, as we've never met the guy or been in meeting rooms with him, Brett Veach and the Chiefs decided to take the chance and draft him 32nd overall last year at quite a discount.
Kansas City will have to work around uncertain tackle situation for longer than expected
Simmons played just eight games last year. He missed about a month halfway into the year, when he basically went AWOL and left the team in the middle of the night to deal with a family matter. He then returned, played well, but broke his wrist, forcing the Chiefs to place him on season-ending IR.
Now heading into his second season, Simmons was in tip-top shape entering training camp and, by all accounts, was a brick wall in just about every rep he played in. His individual importance to the Chiefs is perhaps second to none behind Patrick Mahomes, who, mind you, is coming off a torn ACL and may not be as mobile in the early weeks of the season.
Now, whatever the case may be with this back injury, Pete Sweeney of the KC Star reported that he doesn't believe that Simmons will play in Week 1. It creates a murky situation, and one that Sweeney expects the Chiefs will plant Kahlil Benson in Simmons' spot as Mahomes blindside and veteran Jaylon Moore at right tackle.
Benson's performances during the preseason were nothing to be hopeful about, and now he is set to face a commanding pass rush from the Denver Broncos, who for the past two years have led the NFL in team sacks. What is hopefully a bright spot, and perhaps takes some of the pressure off of Benson, is that 28-year-old Jonathan Cooper, who has 18.5 sacks over the last two seasons, is not set to play, what with being placed on the Commissioners Excempt list.
All the Chiefs can be hopeful for now is that Moore can hold his own on the right side against Nik Bonitto and that they can help Benson on the left side with tight end chips. The Chiefs' game plan, with one week to go, just took a complete 180-degree turn.
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