Ahead of their Week 6 matchup against the Detroit Lions, the Kansas City Chiefs announced that starting left tackle Josh Simmons had been added to the injury report as questionable for personal reasons.
At the time, it wasn’t clear what was going on with Simmons and when he would return to the field. A couple of weeks later, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters on Oct. 23 that Simmons is taking care of family, while also adding, “everything’s positive. It’s not a negative situation,” per Jesse Newell of The Athletic. But still, there has been very little clarity on the topic
As you can only imagine, Chiefs fans were relieved to hear this encouraging update from Reid regarding the rookie lineman. With Simmons handling family business, the Chiefs have turned to Jaylon Moore to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside over these last three games.
This page will stay updated with the latest news on Moore, while also tracking how the Chiefs' line is coping with his absence.
- Week 8 Update: Simmons Expected to Rejoin Team 'in Coming Weeks'
- Week 7 Update: Simmons Ruled Out Again, Moore Sticks at LT
- Week 6 Update: Simmons Pops Up on Injury Report, Moore Takes Over at LT
Week 8 Update: Simmons Expected to Rejoin Team 'in Coming Weeks'
For the third consecutive game, the Chiefs didn’t have Simmons, which led to another start for Moore. Before Monday night’s game against the Washington Commanders, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt weighed in on Simmons’ absence. Hunt didn’t sound too concerned about it and is looking forward to his return.
“We’ve had good communication with him, and there’s an understanding by both parties as to where he is, and we’re hopeful to have him back with the team at some time in the future. I feel pretty good about him coming back,” Hunt said (h/t Chiefs Blitz on Twitter/X).
Late last week, ESPN’s Nate Taylor reported that Simmons “is expected to rejoin the team in a few weeks.”
As for the actual game, it was another chance for the 27-year-old Moore to show that the Chiefs didn’t make a mistake in signing him to a two-year, $30 million deal in free agency. According to Pro Football Focus, Moore turned in a 69.5 overall grade in 69 snaps.
The veteran offensive lineman showed a noticeable improvement in run blocking (62.5 grade in 26 snaps), which was an issue in Week 7. That said, Moore’s pass protection left much to be desired as he allowed three pressures, a quarterback hit and a sack.
Chiefs fans weren’t exactly pleased with Moore’s performance, as some of them cannot wait for the young left tackle to come back. If Simmons does rejoin soon, it will come at a perfect time, as the Chiefs’ next four games are against the Buffalo Bills, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, and Dallas Cowboys.
Week 7 Update: Simmons Ruled Out Again, Moore Sticks at LT
Before the Chiefs faced off against the Raiders at Arrowhead, Kansas City once again ruled out Simmons, who reportedly flew back to his hometown of San Diego to attend to a personal reason.
This led to Moore making his second start of the season, which did not go well. According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran offensive lineman had an overall offensive grade of 62.5 in 81 snaps.
When comparing that to the Chiefs’ other starting offensive linemen, he had the second-lowest grade outside of Trey Smith (40.7), who only played 17 snaps due to a back injury. Nonetheless, Simmons turned in a 55.4 run blocking grade (37 snaps) and a 69.9 pass blocking grade (44 snaps).
A 69.9 pass blocking grade is nothing to be overly excited about, but for Simmons, it turned out to be his second-highest pass blocking grade this season. Against the Raiders’ defensive line, Moore struggled, allowing two pressures and two hurries.
While the Chiefs easily handled business on the scoreboard against their divisional rival, Moore left more questions than answers.
Week 6 Update: Simmons Pops Up on Injury Report, Moore Takes Over at LT
Ahead of their primetime game on Sunday Night Football against Detroit, Simmons popped up on the final injury report for personal reasons. It wasn’t ideal news for the Chiefs, as the rookie has played well to start his career, only allowing one sack and 12 pressures in 224 pass block attempts, per PFF.
However, luckily for the Chiefs, they already have an option in-house with Moore, who played sparingly in KC’s first four games (20 snaps). What better way to test Moore than to put him up against a Lions’ pass rush that has exceeded expectations?
In his first start of the season, Moore showed some promise in the run blocking department, as he had an 80.8 grade (24 snaps). However, the veteran lineman struggled in pass pro, which is not shocking when you have to deal with Aidan Hutchinson.
That said, the Chiefs didn’t expect to see a 45.3 pass blocking grade either. Moore gave up three pressures, two hurries, and a sack. Thankfully, Moore’s performance didn’t come back to bite them, as KC won 30-17.