The Kansas City Chiefs open their 2026 season on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos, the same club that ended their long run atop the AFC West.
Before that prime-time kickoff, the team has had to confront an uncertain situation along the offensive line.
On Thursday, coach Andy Reid confirmed that second-year tackle Josh Simmons would again miss practice, leaving his availability for the opener in doubt, via Chiefs insider Nate Taylor.
Simmons, the Chiefs’ first-round selection in 2025 out of Ohio State, has been dealing with a back issue that first surfaced in mid-August during training camp in St. Joseph. The problem has kept him off the field for more than two weeks.
Reid said the tackle had the area examined, a spot flared up, and the staff is now waiting for the inflammation to settle. The coach has declined to attach a firm timetable to either a return to practice or a return to games. Two days earlier he had already indicated there was a good chance Simmons would sit out the Monday night meeting with Denver.
That projection points toward undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson stepping in at left tackle to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blind side, with Jaylon Moore remaining on the right.
Reid has said the coaching staff is comfortable lining Benson up on either edge if needed. Safety Chamarri Conner, managing a knee injury, also sat out Thursday’s session. Reid described those two players as the only notable injuries on the roster heading into the first week of the regular season.
Simmons’ early career has already included interruptions. After starting the first five games of his rookie season, he left the team for a family matter that kept him away for 22 days and four games.
He returned after the bye week, started against Denver, then later suffered a dislocated and fractured left wrist on Thanksgiving that required surgery and sent him to injured reserve. That wrist has healed. The current back problem is a separate issue.
The Chiefs will now prepare for a high-profile home opener without their young first-round tackle on the field.
Whether Simmons can work his way back later in September remains an open question that Reid has chosen not to answer with a specific date.
For Monday night, Kansas City appears ready to move forward with the next man up.
