The Kansas City Chiefs released their initial injury report, and there's news about Josh Simmons.
The Kansas City Chiefs have an ongoing problem at left tackle, and they got some more bad news about their situation this week when their injury report came out, according to a followup piece from Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk.
Simmons is now dealing with a bulging disc, which is a new version of a problem that’s become a running issue. Until now he’s been listed with a back problem, but Andy Reid commented on on it in his injury report, saying that “he’s here and he’s getting better,” when he gave his Simmons update.
This is part for the course with Ried, as he also noted that with “I think we’re headed in the right direction" in his comments about Simmons. Reid typically downplays and tries to minimize injuries, especially serious ones, and he only reveals the truth about them when it’s close to time for him to be forced to do that and come clean with the media.
But Simmons is special. The Chiefs knew he was an injury risk when they made him their top pick in 2025, and initially it looked like they’d managed to pick a winner.
Simmons was able play effectively initially, albeit with some of the issues that typically come up with a rookie tackle protecting the quarterback’s blindside, but then the tackle had to leave the team in midseason last year due to personal reasons, and a wrist injury took him out near the end of last year’s 6-11 disaster.
Bulging discs typically don’t go away. Teams try shots to alleviate the pain, and what happens after that is usually surgery. That may be what’s happening now with Simmons, although we won’t hear it from Reid in any kind of public report.
We’ve now reached the point where Simmons has missed more games than he’s played, which means the word “bust” is either in the conversation or about to become part of the dialogue. It’s not something the Chiefs want to hear given some of the middling drafts that helped produce last year's mess, but facts are facts and numbers are numbers.
This all comes due again when the Raiders travel to Nevada to play the Las Vegas Raider on Sunday. Simmons’ replacement, Kahlil Benson, has been effective as a run blocker, but he’s struggled in pass protection, and the Raiders have the likes of defensive end Maxx Crosby and edge rusher Kwity Paye doing the honors, so Benson will have his work cut out for him holding up against that particular pair.
