Arrowhead Pride
After Kansas City’s first training camp practice, Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes spoke about the rookie left tackle.
On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs took the field for their first practice of 2025 training camp. Of the 91 players in attendance, there is perhaps no player more deserving of attention than first-round rookie Josh Simmons.
After the Chiefs selected Simmons out of Ohio State with the No. 32 overall pick in this year’s draft, the almost immediate consensus was that Kansas City had pulled a grand heist on the rest of the NFL. Simmons was considered a likely top-10 pick had it not been for his college injury.
The choice is already paying dividends in St. Joseph, as Simmons was a full participant on Day 1.
“He did some good things,” said head coach Andy Reid. “He worked in there with the [first-team offensive line] and did a nice job, I thought. He’s got things he’s got to work on, but you keep doing that.”
Starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor underwent cleanup surgery on his knee after the 2024 season, limiting him for organized team activities (OTAs) and sending him to the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list to start the summer session.
Because of that, Simmons took every rep at left tackle while new veteran signee Jaylon Moore manned the right tackle position. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes liked what he saw in Simmons’ first camp reps.
“I think he’s done a great job,” said Mahomes. “You see the talent, obviously. You see the physical ability. But I think more than that, the way he’s worked. I got to see him working through the rest of his rehab process and then working on the field. He’s done a great job with that, and then learning. He’s getting tested every single day with [defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo] and being able to pick up blitzes and do all different types of stuff, as well as go get some great pass-rushers. I’m excited for the future that he has.”
In the months leading into camp, the prospect of Simmons earning the starting job as a rookie has shifted from what was once thought to be far-fetched into a genuine reality. Because of that, Mahomes has continued to stress communication with the 22-year-old — both on and off the field.
“That’s why we sit in the film room and we talk through these things,” said the quarterback. “I’m talking to the whole O-line, and we have to all be on the same page. And I think it’s going to help him a lot that Creed [Humphrey’s] there and Trey [Smith] and some of these veteran guys that know kind of how I talk and what I mean when I say stuff, as well as just us meeting together and having that communication. Like I say every training camp, the best test you’re going to get is against Spags. So going up against him, seeing those blitzes, communicating, that’s going to help us a lot as we get to...
