Injury Status For Chiefs Tackle Comes “Personal” Designation

The Kansas City Chiefs have a new mystery man, and he’s not a wide receiver. The Chiefs raised some eyebrows when they put left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve, adding the word “personal” to the designation, which now reads “back/personal.”

Here’s what we know. Simmons came to OTAs and minicamp sporting a distinctly muscled up and down more than a couple of pounds. Coach Andy Reid said shortly after that the Chiefs wanted Simmons to bulk up a little, and he added that he didn’t want it to be “cheeseburger weight.”

Simmons complied, and that’s when the problems started. He hurt his back at some point in all of this, and by the end of training camp it was clear he wouldn’t be playing at the start of the season. It also came out that Simmons was being treated for a bulging disc in his back, which typically isn’t a quick-healing injury. 

So what’s the “personal” part of this about? Jesse Newell of The Athletic took a run at this question during the midweek availability of Chiefs head athletic trainer Rick Burkholder, who didn’t exactly shed a lot of light on the issue, saying that Simmons had “plateaued” in the rehab process, but “he’s just not there yet,” when it comes to recovery and returning to competition. 

The closest the trainer got to an explanation was his add-on that the Chiefs have given Simmons time to talk to his family and agent about “potential next steps.” Newell added that Simmons was spotted in the locker room with teammates during the midweek media access period on Wednesday morning.  

After that there was apparently agreement from “all parties,” per Burkholder, to put Simmons on IR with the goal of giving him more time to do a complete recovery. The trainer didn’t say whether that recovery will occur under the Chiefs supervision at the team facility or at home with his family. 

The other piece of the puzzle is that the “personal” designation isn’t new territory for Simmons. He left the team for a month last season, and when he returned in mid-November he fractured his wrist, and was put on injured reserve. 

It’s not fair to speculate further, but that’s exactly what’s going to happen. Simmons came into the NFL as a first-round talent with injury risks, but back when he was drafted most of that speculation was about a knee injury he experience in college. Now his status is up in the air completely, and no one knows what’s going to happen going forward.