Over the next four months, Head Coach Andy Reid won’t have to answer any more questions surrounding left tackle Josh Simmons. The team placed him on injured reserve Thursday, which shuts down the narrative around an unusual injury that began in August.
When the Kansas City Chiefs rolled out Rick Burkholder to detail the injury, timeline, and conclusion of the bulging disc issue that has plagued left tackle Josh Simmons since training camp, you know things are serious. Yes, some skeptics and conspiracy theorists rattled off their opinions that it was something else, but the Chiefs clarified the situation medically.
However, the social media fodder around Simmons has been more unfair than anything else. The man has a bulging disc; he’s an NFL offensive lineman, and when he returned to practice last week, we all thought he’d be back in the starting lineup. Until he does return, unfortunately, the negative narratives will persist.
He won’t be eligible to do that until the Chiefs’ home game against the Arizona Cardinals next month. As the Chiefs’ top medical man indicated, the timeline suggests Simmons’ roller coaster ride was well documented and vetted by two medical experts. The overall conclusion was that he won’t need back surgery.
That doesn’t mean he’ll play again for the Chiefs this season, or any season, but it does indicate that Simmons doesn’t feel comfortable enough to play football right now. After two significant injuries, one at Ohio State and the other with the Chiefs last season, perhaps he felt his body couldn’t handle another surgery.
So he chose to work through it with the Chiefs trainer and, to his credit, has been at the facility every day rehabbing his back in hopes he can play football again. However, we can’t underestimate the toll this is taking on Simmons, and regardless of what happened last season with a well-documented personal matter, only one person can decide his future: Simmons.
In his absence, undrafted rookie Khalil Benson has earned the left tackle job, and even if Simmons returns this season, they’ll discuss shifting him to tackle right. I can’t see a scenario where Benson gets the boot at this stage. Unless, of course, he struggles over the next four games.
This isn’t ideal for the Chiefs, who stand 5-0 and face a daunting two weeks ahead with road games at Seattle and Denver, but thankfully Benson has played a premier left tackle since being thrust into the starting lineup in Week 1.
