Major Concern Emerges Regarding Future of Key Chiefs Starter

Sep 18, 2026 at 10:47 PM EDT

A major contributor to the Kansas City Chiefs is the subject of questions regarding his health and availability.

Josh Simmons, a second-year offensive lineman, has been surrounded by mystery since he hurt his back a month ago.

Two weeks ago, he got a second opinion on that injury, but he still has no timetable for his return, according to Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.

"[The medical staff] will go back and reevaluate it," Reid told reporters on Friday. "I know he's feeling better than he was. As fara as good enough to play? We'll see."

That "we'll see" may be more hopeful than based in fact.

Jordan Foote of Kansas City Chiefs on SI noted that Simmons "missed yet another practice" and it looks like he "will be missing Sunday's contest at home" against the Indianapolis Colts on "Sunday Night Football."

While other injured Chiefs have at least been seen around the team, "Simmons' time has primarily been allocated to rehabbing inside the team facility."

Missing just one week might be the least of the Chiefs' worries, though.

Geoff Schwartz, a former NFL player and current analyst, opined on social media that Simmons may not be able to contribute much this year.

"No inside info on this. Just my feeling," he said in response to a video of Reid's comments. "I have doubts Simmons plays much this season. Not sure how you can think otherwise at the moment."

Simmons being unavailable would be a big blow for the Chiefs, who are surely looking to keep superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes healthy after his season ended prematurely last year with a devastating knee injury.

That said, Mahomes looked like himself in his season debut, a 31-10 beatdown of the Denver Broncos, and he was only sacked twice in the game.

If Simmons can return and contribute to this season, he could further the team's goals of returning to the NFL's elite tier.

If not, though, the team could find itself answering a lot of questions about how they managed Simmons' injury.