The Kansas City Chiefs came off their Super Bowl loss last season with questions about the offensive line.
The injury bug swarmed the Chiefs’ offensive line, especially at left tackle. The problem got so bad that legendary left guard Joe Thuney was forced to move over to left tackle to try and protect quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Fast forward to March, the Chiefs traded Thuney to the Chicago Bears and revamped their offensive line. Second-year guard Kingsley Suamataia stepped into a much larger role with Thuney off the roster, and the Chiefs addressed their problems at left tackle.
The two notable additions were left tackle Josh Simmons, who was drafted in the first-round of the draft, and veteran left tackle Jaylon Moore, who signed with the Chiefs in the offseason.
Simmons had some concerns in the preseason and fans were probably hitting the panic button on their rookie lineman, but in the regular season he has protected Mahomes well and has made a huge impact on the passing and running game so far.
Simmons has been away from the team with a family emergency for the last couple of weeks, but when he’s on the field, he positively makes his presence known.
“Although Simmons has been away from the team since Oct. 12 because of a family situation, the first-round pick has shown he can be the Chiefs' franchise left tackle for quarterback Patrick Mahomes,” ESPN’s Nate Taylor wrote Tuesday. “In five games, Simmons was exceptional in pass protection, allowing the Chiefs' offense to be functional. When he returns, he could develop into a Pro Bowler. A qualified second candidate is left tackle Jaylon Moore, a four-year veteran who has played well in Simmons' absence.”
Moore has played well filling in for Simmons, but the Chiefs would much rather have Simmons out there as he projects to be a franchise cornerstone for the foreseeable future.
Taylor wrote Friday that Simmons is expected to be back with the team in a few weeks, and Head Coach Andy Reid praised Simmons for how he is handling his situation.
“There’s communication, and everything is positive,” Reid said Oct. 23. “It’s not a negative situation, so he’s taking care of family. He’s just taking care of business. That’s the main thing. When you deal with this, that’s what you do.”
Kansas City’s bye week is Week 10, so it seems like Simmons could be back for the Week 11 matchup against the Denver Broncos, perhaps the league’s top defense.