The Kansas City Chiefs made a big move at the tackle position in the 2026 offseason, parting ways with Jawaan Taylor and appearing to double down on Josh Simmons. The second-year tackle managed only to play eight games in the 2025 season due to injuries and a personal matter that took Simmons off the field early in the year. Still, it seems the Chiefs have seen enough to believe that they have their left tackle of the future, with the final needed confirmation coming up at the end of this month with Kansas City's draft class.
If the Chiefs opt not to add to the position and roll with their current roster, it is a statement of trust in Simmons. Jaylon Moore is the expected right tackle, while Simmons is tasked with guarding the blindside of Patrick Mahomes, who is returning from an ACL injury. This paints a clear picture as to why the draft is the final step in revealing just how much trust the Chiefs have in Simmons moving forward.
Adding to the tackle position cannot be ruled out, but it seems lower on Kansas City's priority list than other areas of the roster. If you're considering positional needs, those should be ahead of insurance behind Simmons, as corner, safety, edge rusher, and receiver, all jump off the page as the likely targets for the Chiefs when their number is called.
Chiefs Tackle Josh Simmons Approaching Final Hurdle Before Clearly Becoming Stalwart
In his eight appearances during the 2025 campaign, Simmons allowed just two sacks over 367 pass protection snaps as a rookie. This is promising production and hints at why the Chiefs might be ready to double down on the second-year tackle by opting not to add competition. The only caveat to this is that it would've been ideal for Simmons to have provided a larger sample size this past season.
Missing that many games in a rookie season is a bit of a red flag, even if part of his reasoning for the time away was to deal with a personal matter, rather than an injury. Regardless of the reasoning, the Chiefs appear poised to double down on the tackle, signaling Simmons is viewed as an important piece of the future. The only hurdle remaining for this to come to fruition for the lineman is getting through the draft without a meaningful addition at the position being selected.
If this does happen, Simmons is clearly a winner of the 2026 offseason and can take the lack of moves as a sign the Chiefs are doubling down on their confidence in his future. All indications are that this is the direction we are heading following what has been a quiet offseason at the position.