JUNE 15: It seems that Simmons is the Chiefs’ top choice for left tackle in 2025, as long as he can fully recover from his injury.
Adam Teicher from ESPN mentions that if the rookie participates completely in this week’s minicamp, it will greatly improve his chances of being Patrick Mahomes’ left tackle when the season starts.
Teicher adds that Moore will only take over the left tackle position if Simmons is unable to play.
JUNE 8: After narrowly missing a Super Bowl three-peat, the Chiefs had to face how much the winning team outplayed them in key areas. As a result, Kansas City focused on strengthening their offensive and defensive lines with their first three draft picks and their biggest free agent signing.
However, their top pick may not be ready to contribute significantly at the start of the 2025 season, according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated.
The Chiefs traded back one spot and used their last pick in the first round to select Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons. Simmons began his college career at San Diego State, where he started every game during his redshirt freshman season at right tackle before transferring to Ohio State. He quickly became the Buckeyes’ starting left tackle in 2023, and despite missing 10 games last year, he still received an All-Big Ten honorable mention.
Simmons is not expected to start in Week 1 mainly because of the injury that caused him to miss those 10 games last season. Once seen as a top candidate for lineman honors in the draft, Simmons’ draft stock dropped after he tore his patellar tendon just six games into the season. Besides how tough it can be for a rookie to adapt to NFL play…
Breer points out that a knee injury like this can be tougher for larger players to recover from than a torn ACL. This makes it clearer why the Chiefs made their biggest free agent signing this offseason by bringing in former 49ers backup offensive tackle Jaylon Moore.
Moore joined Kansas City on a two-year, $30 million contract after spending four years with San Francisco, where he filled in as a swing tackle and started games when Trent Williams and others were unavailable. During his rookie contract, Moore played in 55 games but only started 12 of them.
The advantage of signing Moore to a two-year deal is that it will likely fulfill two roles. By 2025, Moore is expected to take over as the starting left tackle alongside Jawaan Taylor.
This arrangement will give Simmons the time he needs to fully recover and adjust to the NFL’s pace without feeling rushed. The second role was hinted at over a month ago when head coach Andy Reid mentioned that Moore could play several positions on the offensive line.
Since Moore has never played guard in the NFL, it’s assumed Reid means he can handle both left and right tackle.
After the 2025 season, Taylor’s contract includes an option that could lower his dead cap money from $34.78 million if released in 2025 to $7.39 million if cut in the following league year.
Breer suggests that Kansas City might be able to free up $20 million in cap space, shift Moore from left tackle to right tackle, and allow Simmons to take over at left tackle in 2026.
Sure, Simmons probably won’t start in Week 1 of 2025, but that doesn’t mean he will sit out his rookie year. Once he is completely healthy, the Chiefs will likely find a way to include Simmons in the lineup.
They might begin by placing him on the interior line or move Moore inside if Reid truly meant what he said about playing multiple positions.
This would give Simmons a chance to get used to starting at the blind side. Overall, it seems that the team’s plan for Simmons looks beyond just Week 1 of the upcoming season.
