A 24-10 win over the Miami Dolphins wasn’t the only positive the Kansas City Chiefs took away from Week 3.
While speaking to the media on Monday, coach Andy Reid said that there are no new injuries to report. He also expressed confidence that safety Chamarri Conner could make his season debut in Week 4 against the Las Vegas Raiders. Unfortunately, there is still one major absence looming for the Chiefs.
Kansas City Chiefs HC Andy Reid Has No New Information to Provide Regarding OT Josh Simmons
Reid was also asked if offensive tackle Josh Simmons could return to practice this week. His response had a little snark to it.
“I’ll tell you what, I will let you guys know when Josh is coming back,” Reid said. “I’ll be the first to tell you. We’ll just see how all that works.”
That’s not exactly an encouraging update, but we will know more when the Chiefs return to the practice field on Wednesday. Simmons has been sidelined with a back injury since the middle of training camp. It has cost him all of preseason and the first three games of the regular season.
Reid has been adamant that Simmons is working hard to return, despite some speculation to the contrary. Kansas City opted not to put Simmons on injured reserve, which will prove to be a bad decision if he misses Week 4’s matchup against the Raiders.
Chiefs Need Josh Simmons Back ASAP
There’s no denying Simmons’ talent, which many believe has the upside of an All-Pro. Kansas City has been getting bye with rookie Kahlil Benson in Simmons’ place at left tackle, but Benson is coming off his worst outing yet against the Dolphins.
Benson surrendered three pressures and three quarterback hits in Week 3. He is holding up pretty well as a run blocker, but has a ways to go in his development in pass protection. The last thing the Chiefs need is for Patrick Mahomes to be taking several hits per game.
As they are doing with Conner, the Chiefs may want to get multiple weeks of practice under Simmons’ belt before getting him to game action. A Week 6 home matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers could be a realistic target date, as Kansas City will be coming off its bye.
Chiefs HC Andy Reid Gives Uninspiring Update on Josh Simmons