The Kansas City Chiefs decided before the season to leave left tackle Josh Simmons off injured reserve, hoping that he would recover from a back injury and return in a few weeks.
That decision may have backfired, with the Chiefs now ruling out Simmons for a fourth straight game. The team announced that he would not play in this weekend’s showdown against the Las Vegas Raiders, meaning he has already missed the equivalent of an injured reserve stint.
Chiefs Give Update on Josh Simmons
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid explained this week that Simmons has been dealing with a bulging disc in his lower back, which has “hindered the strength of his leg.” Reid shared that Simmons has been making progress.
“He’s working through it, he’s here every day grinding away,” Reid shared. “We didn’t have to make any roster moves, so we didn’t have to put him on IR (injured reserve). So, it’s all worked out good that way. The positive is, though, he is making progress and getting stronger, which is important with those backs. As we know, backs can be a little tricky.”
But had the Chiefs put Simmons on injured reserve just before the start of the regular season, they could have had an open roster spot while still losing him for the same amount of time. But Reid admitted that the team was uncertain of when he would return, making injured reserve a difficult decision.
“The timeline — that would be the other half of not putting him on IR — you never know with these things,” Reid said. “We just hang in with it. The positive is he’s here, and he’s working and getting better.”
Chiefs Get Some Good News on Josh Simmons
While it’s not clear how much longer Simmons could be sidelined, Reid did have some good news about his prognosis. The Chiefs coach said he doesn’t believe Simmons would require surgery, and still had a positive long-term outlook.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction here, where it shouldn’t happen,” Reid said. “We’ll see where it all goes. Knock on wood, I think we’re going to be in a good place over time.”
The Chiefs have not missed Simmons much over the first three games, going 3-0 with a rejuvenated offense. Running back Kenneth Walker III leads the league in rushing yards and yards from scrimmage, while quarterback Patrick Mahomes is having a throwback performance and near-perfect play on play-action passes that Walker has opened up.
Chiefs Decision on Josh Simmons Backfires With Latest Injury Report