The Kansas City Chiefs are going to start quarterback Patrick Mahomes in Week 1 against the Denver Broncos exactly nine months after he tore his ACL, which is cause for concern in a couple of different ways.
First, nine months is essentially as quickly as anyone can come back from that injury — or at least about as quickly as anyone ever has to any level of success. So there is the notion that Mahomes might be rushing his recovery so as to get out onto the field immediately and start making up for the team’s first losing season in over a decade.
The other issue, however, has to do with starting left tackle Josh Simmons.
The 2025 first-round pick missed nine of 17 games across his rookie campaign and is currently dealing with a lingering back injury, so his potential absence on Mahomes’ blindside is a source of worry. However, even when Simmons is on the field, he could be putting his quarterback at risk by engaging in one of his favorite blocking techniques.
Josh Simmons’ Signature Move Could Create Danger for Less-Mobile Patrick Mahomes
Danny Heifetz of “The Ringer Fantasy Football Show” brought up the problem on the Monday, September 7 edition of that podcast.
“I think Patrick Mahomes is gonna tear his ACL again,” Heifetz said.
“Because you think he’s rushing back and he’s gonna re-injure it?” co-host Craig Horlbeck asked.
“That’s part of it,” Heifetz responded.
“So Josh Simmons the left tackle, he has this move … where you kind of grab [the defender] by the shoulder pads and throw him down to his left,” he continued. “It’s called the snatch technique.”
“Gonna [throw] him into [Mahomes’] legs,” co-host Danny Kelly added.
“You know who thinks his is a terrible move with Patrick Mahomes coming off a torn ACL and thinks that is really putting Patrick Mahomes at risk?” Heifetz continued. “Mitchell Schwartz, who was the right tackle for the Chiefs when they won the first Super Bowl, and was like the best player on their offensive line that year. [He] just keeps posting on Twitter that Josh Simmons should not be using that technique because eventually Patrick Mahomes will be there, and he’s gonna be in the pocket more this season because of the [lack of] mobility.”
Chiefs May Not Have Improved Offense Enough Around Patrick Mahomes to Adequately Insulate Him
There are also concerns about Mahomes having to do too much, as he did last year with regards to the number of times he scrambled to cover up the absence of an explosive running game along with the lack of adequate pass-catching targets.
Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated questioned Monday whether Kansas City has done enough to improve the offense around Mahomes after focusing much more heavily on the defensive side of the football this offseason.
“What could determine it largely rests on two guys the Chiefs took risks on in the draft,” Breer wrote. “They have very high ceilings and, as we’ve seen, very low floors: left tackle Josh Simmons and receiver Rashee Rice. If those guys are playing to their potential, Kansas City could have another Super Bowl team on its hands. If they’re unavailable or in disrepair for large chunks of the season, the likelihood of that is lessened.”
Patrick Mahomes Warned of ACL Injury Danger Due to Josh Simmons’ Flaw