{"id":254340,"date":"2025-11-12T12:52:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:52:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=254340"},"modified":"2025-11-12T12:52:00","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T17:52:00","slug":"chiefs-aim-to-regain-momentum-as-rookie-josh-simmons-returns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/11\/12\/chiefs-aim-to-regain-momentum-as-rookie-josh-simmons-returns\/","title":{"rendered":"Chiefs Aim to Regain Momentum as Rookie Josh Simmons Returns"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>\u00a0are ready to turn the page as the second half of the NFL season begins, and they\u2019re getting a major boost on the offensive line.<\/span><\/p>\n

Josh Simmons’ Return a Huge Boost for the Chiefs<\/h2>\n
\"josh
Sep 28, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia (76) and offensive tackle Josh Simmons (71) at the line of scrimmage against the Baltimore Ravens during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons,<\/a><\/span>\u00a0the team\u2019s first-round pick in April, has returned to the facility after a month-long absence for personal reasons. Simmons, who left the team on <\/span>October 12, rejoined the squad during last week\u2019s bye and is in line to play in Sunday\u2019s crucial <\/span>AFC West road matchup against the Denver Broncos.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Head coach Andy Reid <\/a><\/span>said the next few days of practice will determine how quickly Simmons can reintegrate into the starting lineup.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI think what we\u2019ll do is just see where we\u2019re at here,\u201d Reid said Monday. \u201cWe know we\u2019ve got a good player in there now (in Jaylon Moore), and we know what Josh is capable of. So we\u2019ll just see where we\u2019re at when they get back.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Impressive at the Start of the Season<\/h3>\n

Simmons was impressive early in the season after winning the left tackle job during training camp. His combination of athleticism and composure drew praise from coaches and front-office staff, who lauded his competitiveness and ability to bounce back from mistakes.<\/span><\/p>\n

That promising start was cut short when Simmons appeared on the team\u2019s injury report for \u201cpersonal\u201d reasons before the October 12 game against the Detroit Lions. He missed four games while away, with Reid later clarifying that the rookie was \u201ctaking care of family\u201d during his absence.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reid commended the way both Simmons and his teammates handled the situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cPlayers are always concerned about other players\u2019 well-being, that’s first of all,\u201d Reid said. \u201cBut on the other hand, they also move forward. They don\u2019t necessarily look back. They giddy up and go 100 miles an hour with what\u2019s there today,\u201d said the veteran coach.<\/span><\/p>\n

Simmons\u2019 return comes at a vital time. The Chiefs, sitting 5-4, trail the Broncos by two and a half games in the division. According to <\/span>The Athletic\u2019s playoff simulator, a win in Denver would raise Kansas City\u2019s chances of winning the AFC West to <\/span>38 percent, while a loss would drop those odds to just <\/span>7 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Broncos also present one of the league\u2019s toughest defensive challenges, leading the NFL with <\/span>46 sacks, well ahead of Pittsburgh and Seattle (32 each).<\/span><\/p>\n

Jaylon Moore Stepped in<\/h3>\n

While Jaylon Moore<\/a><\/span>, a free-agent acquisition, has held his own in Simmons\u2019 absence, earning a <\/span>69.0 offensive grade from Pro Football Focus, ranking <\/span>31st among 82 tackles, <\/b>Reid acknowledged that the rookie\u2019s ceiling is higher.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cJaylon\u2019s done a nice job for us,\u201d Reid said. \u201cIt\u2019s tough to jump in after the season\u2019s already rolling, especially against the defensive lines we\u2019ve played. But he\u2019s done a respectable job.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Reid declined to say whether Simmons would start Sunday but said he\u2019s confident the rookie has stayed in shape.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019s been working out for sure,\u201d Reid said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The\u00a0 Chiefs<\/a> closed their 2024 season with a 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos<\/a>,\u00a0but still finished 15-2, marking the winningest season in franchise history.<\/p>\n

Main Image: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, has returned to the facility after a month-long absence for personal reasons.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5620,"featured_media":254454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[7811,33233,7326],"class_list":["post-254340","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chiefs","tag-chiefs-featured","tag-josh-simmons","tag-kansas-city-chiefs-roster"],"modified_by":"Drew Crabtree","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254340","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5620"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=254340"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254340\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":254455,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/254340\/revisions\/254455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=254340"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=254340"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=254340"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}