The Kansas City Chiefs decided that there is no more important goal to strive toward this offseason than protecting Patrick Mahomes, which led to the decision to use the No. 31 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft on much-ballyhooed Ohio State left tackle Josh Simmons.
While fans are rightfully excited to see if the Chuefs have found someone who can start on the left side of the line for the next 10 years, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer tried to pump the brakes just a bit. To hear Breer tell it, Simmons will spend most of his rookie season on ice.
“I’d be surprised if Josh Simmons, a wildly talented young tackle, is ready for Week 1,” Breer said. “The Chiefs paid Jaylon Moore $15 million per year to come over from San Francisco to, at the very least, stopgap the left tackle spot, and I’d expect he’ll be out there in Week 1.”
Breer hinted that the most likely plan of attack Kansas City will take involves the Chiefs starting Moore at left tackle and Jawaan Taylor at right tackle before moving Moore over to the right side in 2026, releasing Taylor, and slotting Simmons in as the long-term left tackle.
Chiefs rookie OT Josh Simmons unlikely to start at LT in 2025
Simmons, had he not torn his ACL in October, would have had a very compelling case to be the first offensive lineman off the board, as his amazing numbers as a pass protector have many wondering if he would have been more attractive than Will Campbell or Armand Membou when healthy.
Simmons also has some issues that he needs to work out, as there have been some backchannel rumors suggesting that he wasn’t always very prompt when it came to taking practices seriouslyand working on the little things off the field. Kansas City will likely need to patch up those proverbial bubbles in the wallpaper before starting him.
The Chiefs gave Moore, who was never a regular starter in San Francisco, more money than just about anyone expected he would get on the open market, but this move is likely both insurance in case Simmons struggles or an eventual Taylor successor on the right side.
Still, even with the Moore contract, the Chiefs wouldn’t have drafted Simmons if they didn’t believe that he could be a long-term contributor who helps keep Mahomes’ jersey as pristinely white at the end of a game as it was at the beginning.
