The Kansas City Chiefs begin their redemption tour on Monday Night Football Sept. 14 when they face the team that dethroned them from the top of the AFC West Division where Kansas City had reigned for nine straight seasons.
Before the Broncos game, the Chiefs have been forced to consider the status of second-year offensive lineman Josh Simmons. On Thursday, coach Andy Reid made an announcement about their 2025 first-round draft pick.
Simmons stayed off the practice field again Thursday, Reid announced prior to the practice session, clouding the 23-year-old’s status for Kansas City’s Monday night opener hosting Denver, according to a report by ESPN Chiefs correspondent Nate Taylor.
Reid offered no timetable for Simmons’ injury, leaving Kansas City to decide between an undrafted rookie and a returning veteran protecting Patrick Mahomes‘ blind side days before kickoff.
Chiefs’ Josh Simmons Nursing Back Injury
Simmons and safety Chamarri Conner both sat out again Thursday, with Reid confirming the pair will not participate in Thursday’s practice, according to Taylor.
Reid, asked about his broader injury picture, said Simmons and Conner remain the only two injuries to speak of on the roster, according to A to Z Sports‘ Charles Goldman.
Simmons’ trouble traces to the final stretch of training camp in St. Joseph, when the second-year lineman came up sore in mid-August. By late August, the tackle had missed more than a week of practice, according to NBC Sports‘ Charean Williams. He has not returned to a Chiefs practice since.
“He had the back checked, and there’s a spot in there that flared up, and now you’ve got to sit here and wait until that thing comes down,” Reid said during a Sept. 2 press briefing, as quoted by A to Z Sports.
Simmons has been rehabbing with the team’s medical staff since, and Reid has resisted attaching a firm return date to either practice or games.
Simmons also sat out the preseason finale, and Thursday’s absence stretched that drought into the first practice of Kansas City’s regular-season week. Reid had already signaled two days earlier that the club expects to move forward without him, telling reporters there was a good chance Simmons would miss Monday’s opener, according to The Kansas City Star.
That points to undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson taking over at left tackle, with Jaylon Moore holding down the right side. Reid said the staff feels comfortable lining Benson up on either side.
| KANSAS CITY CHIEFS — 2026 SCHEDULE | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| REGULAR SEASON | |||||
| WK | Date | Opponent | H/A | Kickoff (ET) | Network |
| 1 | Mon, Sep 14 | Denver | Home | 5:15 PM | ESPN / ABC |
| 2 | Sun, Sep 20 | Indianapolis | Home | 5:20 PM | NBC |
| 3 | Sun, Sep 27 | @ Miami | Away | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 4 | Sun, Oct 4 | @ Las Vegas | Away | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| WK 5 — BYE WEEK | |||||
| 6 | Sun, Oct 18 | Los Angeles | Home | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 7 | Sun, Oct 25 | @ Seattle | Away | 5:20 PM | NBC |
| 8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ Denver | Away | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 9 | Sun, Nov 8 | New York Jets | Home | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 10 | Sun, Nov 15 | @ Atlanta | Away | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 11 | Sun, Nov 22 | Arizona | Home | 10:00 AM | CBS |
| 12 | Thu, Nov 26 | @ Buffalo | Away | 5:20 PM | NBC |
| 13 | Thu, Dec 3 | @ Los Angeles | Away | 5:15 PM | Prime Video |
| 14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Cincinnati | Away | 1:25 PM | FOX |
| 15 | Mon, Dec 21 | New England | Home | 5:15 PM | ESPN / ABC |
| 16 | Sun, Dec 27 | San Francisco | Home | 1:25 PM | CBS |
| 17 | TBD — Flex Game | @ Los Angeles | Away | TBD | TBD |
| 18 | TBD — Flex Game | Las Vegas | Home | TBD | TBD |
| PRESEASON RESULTS | |||||
| WK | Date | Opponent | H/A | Result | Record |
| 1 | Sat, Aug 15 | Los Angeles | Home | L 20-12 | 0-1 |
| 2 | Sat, Aug 22 | @ Tampa Bay | Away | L 16-15 | 0-2 |
| 3 | Fri, Aug 28 | Seattle | Home | T 9-9 | 0-2-1 |
| All times Eastern. Home games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO. Weeks 17 and 18 are flex games — dates and broadcasts TBD. Kansas City went 0-2-1 in the preseason. CBS carries the majority of games given the Chiefs’ AFC affiliation. | |||||
Kansas City Chiefs’ Josh Simmons: A History of Absences
Simmons arrived in Kansas City as the Chiefs’ first-round pick in 2025, taken 32nd overall out of Ohio State after a torn patellar tendon ended his final college season.
He started the first five games of his rookie year at left tackle before vanishing hours ahead of an Oct. 12 matchup with the Detroit Lions, when Simmons left the team for what Reid described only as a family situation.
“I kind of want to keep that in house, with all due respect,” Simmons said upon his return during the team’s bye week, as quoted by ESPN. The absence stretched across four games and 22 days, sending Simmons home to San Diego before he rejoined the Chiefs on Nov. 3 and started the following week against Denver.
The 2025 season delivered one more setback. Simmons dislocated and fractured his left wrist in a Thanksgiving Day loss to Dallas, had surgery and landed on injured reserve on Dec. 3, closing his rookie year with eight starts, according to Rotowire. That wrist has long since healed. The back is a separate issue apparently unrelated to last season’s injury history.
Beyond Simmons, Thursday’s update contained one other name. Conner, the fourth-year safety, is managing a knee injury. Reid already described, earlier in the week, that it would be a remote possibility for him to suit up Monday. Reid didn’t list anyone else among the Chiefs banged up heading into the opener.
Chiefs Announce Josh Simmons Decision Before Broncos Game