Patrick Mahomes’ future blindside protector? Chiefs have high expectations for rookie Josh Simmons

Sports

add

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid likes to point out that his star quarterback doesn’t merely pay attention to the NFL Draft each spring but studies it intently, scouring the class of college prospects so he can identity a handful of players whom he believes might one day help the Kansas City Chiefs win another world championship.

Mahomes, his coach believes, pores through enough film to put his own draft board together.

So when the Chiefs traded back one spot at the end of the first round in April, then took Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons with the 32nd pick, Reid had a sense of what his quarterback’s response was going to be.

“He knew about this kid,” Reid said.

Mahomes wasted little time, posting an emoji on X that shared his sentiment.

😎

— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 25, 2025

In other words, the QB approved. The Chiefs might’ve found the blindside protector for the second half of Mahomes’ career.

Truth told, it was an easy call for Kansas City, now four months removed from a 40-22 shellacking in Super Bowl LIX. The Eagles didn’t just rout them that night in New Orleans, they forced the Chiefs — the league’s gold standard for years — to confront some hard truths about the state of their roster and what the next few years for Mahomes could look like if the issues exposed weren’t addressed, and addressed promptly.

Same as the franchise’s Super Bowl LV loss to the Bucs four years prior, this humbling served as a referendum for a leaky offensive line. Mahomes spent three hours running for his life (he was sacked six times and hit 11) and played his worst game as a pro.

To get back on track — and have a shot at a fourth Super Bowl triumph in the Mahomes era — it starts in the trenches.

“It’s on me to fix it, to get it where it should be,” Reid told The Athletic’s Mike Silver last week.

Kansas City had camouflaged the problem for months late in the season, shuffling the lineup and chasing some semblance of consistency. At the same time, Reid, Mahomes and Steve Spagnuolo’s defense carried the team to a third consecutive Super Bowl berth. But internally, Reid knew. They were living from week to week, and it wasn’t sustainable. Eventually, it grew so dire that he had to shift All-Pro guard Joe Thuney out to left tackle, his fourth different starter at that spot since the season opener.

Patchworking the position that safeguards Mahomes’ blindside wasn’t going to cut it. It was enough of a worry, Reid later admitted, that “we thought we’d spend a first-round pick on it.”

Enter Simmons. The Chiefs were originally picking 31st in April, but when Eagles general manager Howie Roseman called while Kansas City was on the clock, wanting to trade up a spot, Chiefs general manager Brett Veach’s response was succinct: “You don’t have to tell me the player. Just tell me offense or defense.”

“Defense,” Roseman told him.

Veach gave the go-ahead on the trade, which netted him an additional fifth-rounder. He knew Roseman would keep his word, and that Simmons would be available.

The 6-foot-5, 317-pound Ohio State product initially hit the team’s radar early last fall, before a torn patella tendon in his right knee ended his 2024 season. “Hopefully we’re not in a position to take him,” Veach remembers telling himself during the scouting process, “because he’s going to go pretty high.”

The Eagles exposed the Chiefs’ struggles protecting Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. (Kirby Lee / Imagn Images)

Both Veach and Reid believed that without the injury, Simmons would’ve gone inside the top 10. The Chiefs haven’t drafted inside the top 10 since trading up for Mahomes in 2017.

“We felt like he was a true left tackle,” Reid said, noting that a big part of Simmons’ tool kit that sold them was his ability to anchor in the passing game. The Chiefs’ offense, once the most electric unit in the league, has stalled considerably the last two seasons; somehow, Kansas City was 27th in passing plays of 20 yards or more in 2024. The downfield threat has all but disappeared. Part of that was a rash of injuries to the wide receiver room. Another reason was a line that couldn’t give Mahomes enough time.

The Eagles just happened to expose it stunningly in front of 127.7 million viewers.

“He’s the best player in the game,” Veach said of the two-time MVP. “When Pat is upright, we have some pretty talented weapons (around him).”

Simmons, Veach said, looks like “a future starter and difference-maker at left tackle.” What has encouraged the team thus far is his swift recovery from surgery: Simmons is on schedule to be ready for training camp and was participating in 11-on-11 work during Tuesday’s first mandatory minicamp practice.

“I wanna be available,” Simmons said after Tuesday’s practice.

One veteran the Chiefs were thrilled to welcome back was guard Trey Smith, who was on the field Tuesday for the first time this spring. Smith, who was franchise-tagged in March, skipped all of OTAs and is seeking a new deal. “It’s good Trey didn’t take my approach,” said teammate Chris Jones, the All-Pro defensive end who held out two years ago all the way into the regular season before signing a five-year, $158 million contract. “Trey’s doing the right thing, man. I think the future plans of the Chiefs is to have Trey around.” Smith is expected to report to training camp in July, and the Chiefs have said they want to get a deal done.

Simmons’ arrival offers the Chiefs valuable depth at a position of glaring need: The team signed former 49ers reserve Jaylon Moore in the offseason to a two-year, $30 million deal. At this point, Moore is the projected starter at left tackle, which will allow Simmons time to acclimate to the pro game while he continues to strengthen his knee. Simmons said every stage of his rehab has gone to plan, and that he felt “good straight off the (operating) table” because he had the operation done by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, one of the leading surgeons in the field.

For their sake, the Chiefs examined Simmons’ knee closely during the draft process and felt confident there would be no lingering effects. So far, so good. On the field, Simmons said the learning curve hasn’t been as severe as he’d imagined, something he credits his time at Ohio State for. “I know what to anticipate,” he said.

Another layer to his education is the persistent presence of Mitchell Schwartz, the Chiefs’ former right tackle who retired after the 2020 season and remains a sounding board for the team’s linemen. Schwartz was on hand Tuesday, watching intently from the sideline.

“He’ll give me tips and tricks that’ll help me on this play, or what Pat might do on this play that can set me up for a different angle,” Simmons said.

All that’s left are the final stages of Simmons’ war with patience — “I want to be able to throw the pads on ASAP,” he said Tuesday. That won’t come until training camp, and the Chiefs have said they won’t rush him.

Reid has gone out of his way to counsel the rookie, Simmons said, after most practices, stressing the long game. The Chiefs and Mahomes don’t need Simmons just yet. In time, they will.

(Top photo of Josh Simmons: Charlie Riedel / Associated Press)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Kevin Durant’s numbers are ‘somewhat empty calories at this point’ | First Things First

nba

Next

trending_flat

Stephen A. Sparks firestorm with blistering take on Memphis: “NBA stars don’t feel safe there”

Adrián García - Raíz