Josh Simmons was supposed to be practicing today despite a bulging disc in his back, according to ESPN correspondent Nate Taylor, yet the Kansas City Chiefs left tackle still has not played a snap this season.
Despite Taylor’s earlier report that Simmons would practice, “in the open portion of today’s practice, Josh Simmons (bulging disc in lower back) wasn’t on the field with his teammates,” Taylor reported as the portion of the session at which media were permitted got underway.
Another reporter, Matt Derrick, also noted that Simmons was not on the practice field. Simmons “was not mentioned by Andy Reid in his press conference earlier today, but he is out today due to his back,” Derrick wrote — making the tackle’s outlook for Sunday night’s game in Seattle look grim.
With the reigning Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks on the agenda for Sunday night, the Chiefs must soon answer how much longer their 2025 first-round pick stays sidelined.
“Josh is still probably going to be ramping up as we go,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said while addressing reporters Monday afternoon. Kickoff arrives Sunday at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC at Lumen Field in Seattle.
Simmons returned to limited practice Oct. 14, his first work since training camp. “Just gonna ease him back in,” Reid said at the time, as quoted by KCTV.
The Chiefs ruled Simmons out against the Los Angeles Chargers.
“He was excited to be out there,” Reid said, according to an Associated Press report.
Josh Simmons’ Back Injury Timeline
Simmons left a practice in mid-August with back discomfort the team first believed would sideline him briefly. Reid did not name the problem until Sept. 30.
“He is making progress,” Reid said, as quoted by The Associated Press. But Kansas City kept him off injured reserve.
“The positive is he’s here and he’s getting better,” Reid said, as quoted by Pro Football Talk.
Simmons has missed the first four games and Week 6, with Kansas City’s bye falling in Week 5.
Last season brought a different kind of absence. Simmons started the first five games of his rookie year, then flew home to San Diego hours before the Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions. He stayed away 22 days, returning to the facility Nov. 3, and missed four games.
“I kind of want to keep that in-house,” Simmons said when asked to explain his puzzling departure from the team, according to Yahoo! Sports.
He returned for a Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos and started three games before a fractured wrist in the Thanksgiving loss to the Dallas Cowboys ended his season, according to Arrowhead Pride.
Simmons played eight of 17 games in 2025. Add the five absences this season and he has missed 14 of 22 possible games in his brief career so far.
Kansas City Chiefs’ Expectations for Josh Simmons
The Chiefs traded with the Philadelphia Eagles to move down one spot and chose Simmons 32nd overall in 2025 out of Ohio State, envisioning a long-term starter protecting quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘ blind side. Scouts praised his explosiveness, knee bend and balance, according to The Athletic.
Simmons won the starting job in camp and allowed one sack across his first five starts, according to figures cited by Yahoo! Sports.
He was born Dec. 26, 2002, in San Diego. His father, Nelson Simmons, played parts of three MLB seasons as an outfielder for the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles, and his uncle, Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala, spent seven years in the NFL as a fullback, according to The Athletic.
Simmons attended Madison High School before moving to Helix High School in La Mesa. At San Diego State, Simmons redshirted in 2021, then started all 13 games at right tackle in 2022. At Ohio State, he started all 13 games at left tackle in 2023, then played six games in 2024 before tearing his patellar tendon against Oregon. Coaches named him honorable mention All-Big Ten that year, according to an Ohio State Athletics biography.
Chiefs Get Discouraging Josh Simmons Injury Update Before Seahawks Game