As the Kansas City Chiefs played their second Monday Night Football game of the season, hosting the Washington Commanders, they remained without a clear idea of when their star rookie offensive left tackle Josh Simmons would rejoin the team.
Simmons, the Chiefs’ first-round draft pick this year â 32nd overall out of Ohio State â has been missing from the team since a few hours before the Chiefs’ Sunday night game against the Detroit Lions on October 12. Reportedly, Simmons returned to his home in California.
Simmons is a native of San Diego, and started his college football career at San Diego State, before playing his final two seasons with the Buckeyes and was a member of their national championship team in the 2024 season.
Simmons Made Surprise Appearance on Injury Report
The week before his sudden departure, Simmons made a late appearance on the team’s injury report with an “illness” shortly before the Chiefs took on the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Simmons played that game despite the “illness,” if there actually was one, but the Chiefs lost anyway.
On Thursday, Chiefs coach Andy Reid addressed the situation, saying that Simmons was “taking care of family” and that the team was in communication with the 22-year-old lineman.
Without going into further detail, Reid said that “everything is positive. Itâs not a negative situation.”
Owner Offers Most Detailed Simmons Comments Yet
So when will Simmons return?
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, billionaire son of the team’s founder , late oil man Lamar Hunt, was asked that question on Monday, in a wide-ranging press briefing prior to the Monday Night Football game.
Though Hunt did not divulge much information, his comments were nonetheless the most detailed yet on the Simmons situation by any Chiefs official.
âItâs not something I can go into,” Hunt said. “But it is a private family matter. And weâve had good communication with him, and thereâs an understanding by both parties as to where he is, and weâre hopeful to have him back with the team at some time in the future.â
As to when that “some time” might be, Hunt did not elaborate, but asked whether he “felt good” about the possibility that Simmons would return to the team, he said, âI do, I do feel pretty good,” as quoted by Matt Derrick of Chiefs Digest.
Simmons May Return for Broncos, But No One Seems Sure
While there has been no official announcement or even estimate of when Simmons will be back with the Chiefs, two separate media reports have stated that Simmons is likely to return during the Chiefs’ bye week, which occurs in Week 10. He would be back on the field with the defending AFC champions for their November 16 Sunday afternoon game against the Denver Broncos, according to those reports.
That means Simmons will miss next week’s rivalry clash in Buffalo against the Bills â a team that has beaten the Chiefs in four straight regular season games.
According to ESPN Chiefs reporter Nate Taylor, in a report published last Friday, “A logical time for Simmons to return to the Chiefs could be in early November during the team’s bye week.”
His prediction echoed an earlier report by Jesse Newell of The Athletic, who wrote that for Simmons, “coming back before a November 16 road game at Denver could be a natural target date, given how the teamâs schedule falls.â
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Chiefs Josh Simmons Return Update: Owner Clark Hunt Discusses Absence appeared first on Heavy Sports.