The Kansas City Chiefs have won two straight games and sit at 4-3, but have had to do so without Josh Simmons. Before the Monday Night Football matchup against the Detroit Lions, Simmons had to step away from the team for what was called a personal reason. The rookie has missed the last two weeks of practice with a "family situation."
Head coach Andy Reid spoke to the media about the Simmons situation this week and said that communication has been good. And the good news is the Chiefs have a timeline for his return. ESPN's Nate Taylor reported Simmons is expected to rejoin the team in the coming weeks.
"A logical time for Simmons to return to the Chiefs could be in early November during the team's bye week," Taylor wrote.
Considering the Chiefs' bye is in Week 10, that leaves two more weeks before Simmons returns, and that turns up the pressure on Jawaan Taylor to lock down his spot for the 2026 season.
Jawaan Taylor Has the Next Two Weeks to Lock Down His Spot for 2026
The Chiefs have Taylor signed through 2026, with a $27.3 cap hit next season. Yet, the Chiefs could release Taylor after the season and only suffer a $7.3 million dead cap hit, according to Spotrac.
Taylor's tenure with the Chiefs has been a rollercoaster to say the least. He's had major problems committing penalties and has had his fair share of troubles as a blocker. Taylor has allowed 35-plus pressures and committed at least 17 penalties in 2023 and 2024. And these same problems have stumbled into this season.
Through seven games, Taylor has eight penalties and has given up 10 total pressures. According to Pro Football Focus, he owns a 52.7 overall grade (62nd among 77 graded tackles), 62.5 pass-blocking grade (45th among 77 graded tackles), and a 46.3 run-blocking grade.
If he doesn't improve, the writing could be on the wall for his Chiefs tenure. When Simmons returns, he'll retake his place at the left tackle spot, where he's shown a lot of promise already. While that's great to have, it's the play of Jaylon Moore that has impressed of late while Simmons has been away from the team.
This March, the Chiefs gave Moore a two-year, $30 million deal, and he began the season as their swing tackle. Once Simmons stepped away, Moore came in as relief and played really well. Over the past two games, he's posted a 68.2 overall grade (31st among 77 graded tackles), 60 pass-blocking grade (49th among 77 graded tackles), and a 69 run-blocking grade (29th among 77 graded tackles), via Pro Football Focus. In addition, he's allowed just five pressures, with zero penalties and QB hits allowed.
Considering that Moore will get the next two games to continue building off his solid performances, he's trending in the right direction. Moore's play has, deservingly so, received praise online, which shows how valuable the fan base views him as a piece of the puzzle in Kansas City.
If Moore continues to trend upward, while Taylor struggles, it'll make the Chiefs' decision to release the latter this season and kick Moore over to the right side for the 2026 season a little bit easier.