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With the Kansas City Chiefs returning from their bye week, anticipation is building for the weekend. Sunday’s Week 11 bout against the Denver Broncos is huge for the AFC West race, as the hosts boast an 8-2 record while the visitors are 5-4. Aside from a playoff environment, it doesn’t get much more pressure-packed than this. Kansas City will need all hands on deck, leaving many to wonder whether that will include standout rookie left tackle Josh Simmons. Speaking to the media ahead of Wednesday’s practice, head coach Andy Reid provided the latest on Simmons’ status. Andy Reid Noncommittal About Josh Simmons As Broncos Week Continues Reid isn’t revealing whether his first-year protector will get the start on Sunday. “Let’s see,” Reid said. “I haven’t even got him out for a practice yet, so let’s see how all that [goes]. He’ll jump in, we’ll see what he can do and mix it up out there, do what we do, and then we’ll go from there. I just want to see him back out there. Glad he’s back and going.” When asked a follow-up about his cautious approach, Reid said he wants to see how Simmons’ conditioning holds up. “Let’s just see what kind of shape he’s in,” Reid said. “Get back into the football swing. Let’s see how he is. I’m sure he’s going to be OK, but let’s see.” This isn’t a huge diversion from Reid’s Monday assessment. Given that Simmons hasn’t played since Week 5’s 31-28 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it’s natural to exercise a wait-and-see approach regarding a full-fledged workload upon returning. The final pick of the first round of April’s NFL Draft missed several weeks due to a family matter, which still has yet to be fully explained in greater detail. Prior to the Chiefs’ bye, it was reported that Simmons “returned to the team facility” and was reintegrating himself. It remains to be seen whether that’ll translate back to starter-level reps right out of the gate. If Reid’s early-week words are any indication, there may not be a real answer revealed until Friday or beyond. Patrick Mahomes Confident in Whatever Tackle Plan Chiefs Roll With Simmons, a collegiate star at Ohio State, started immediately for the Chiefs. In Weeks 1-5, the early draft selection was credited with just 12 pressures and a single sack by Pro Football Focus. On 314 blocking snaps, he also found his way as a road-grader for halfbacks Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt and fellow rookie Brashard Smith. In Simmons’ absence, Jaylon Moore took over. The offseason free agent signing allowed 12 pressures in Weeks 6-9, per PFF. Through 10 weeks of play, his 69.0 composite blocking grade ranks 36th among all qualified tackles. There’s no denying that without Simmons, though, the Chiefs’ offensive line wasn’t quite the same. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes looked uncomfortable on numerous occasions, partially due to a lack of continuity with Moore. Despite that, the two-time NFL MVP says he’s supremely confident in whichever tackle Reid rolls with on Sunday. “You’re kind of just full steam ahead,” Mahomes said. “I think that’s what’s so great about football, is you have to go out there and have the same mindset [and] the same mentality. We’re super excited to have Josh back, just being back in the building. We’ll get him out on the practice field and see where he’s at. I think you saw with both of those guys, they can both play at a very high level. I think coach will make that decision as the week goes on, but I have confidence in both of them that they’ll go out there and have success.” Many speculate that if he’s in good enough shape, it’ll be Simmons. Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck will be the final judges of that in practice this week.
