Sitting at 5-5 on the year, the Kansas City Chiefs have experienced plenty of ups and downs. Moving forward, they’ll need all the continuity they can get. In some ways, the 2025 path of left tackle Josh Simmons mirrors that.
The club’s star rookie has experienced a roller coaster of a debut campaign, largely stemming from developments away from the field. Now back in the fold with Kansas City, he’s ready to keep building momentum following his Week 11 reintroduction.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Simmons made his first public comments on his extended absence in October and the very early portion of November.
Josh Simmons Makes First Public Comments on Absence From Chiefs
Simmons opened his media availability by thanking the Chiefs and Kansas City as a whole for their support during his time away.
“First off, I want to thank the entire Kansas City and this club for having my six for the time I was away from the team,” Simmons said. “It showed how much love this team and city has for me, and I can’t wait to give it back to them.”
When asked whether he wanted to explain his non-football, family-related matter, Simmons said he’d prefer to keep things “in-house.”
At times during Simmons’ departure, fans grew restless as the Chiefs’ offense struggled in various areas. Despite that, the organization stood by him and remained patient as he worked through the situation. The 32nd overall pick in April’s NFL Draft says he tried his best to stay locked in on what the team planned to do schematically.
“I had access to my playbook and stuff like that, so I was able to kind of keep up and stay proactive,” Simmons said. “Maybe studying plays, or something like that, making sure I go over notes. Communication with the team was very transparent, especially at the end.”
He also attempted to stay in football shape, something head coach Andy Reid emphasized leading up to Simmons’ Week 11 return to action.
“I had access to gyms and stuff like that,” Simmons said. “I was making sure I was working out once and hitting, like, some field work. Just keeping my feet alive and stuff like that, making sure my nervous system is woken up.”
Simmons Assesses Return to Kansas City’s Lineup
Now, Simmons is slated to play in eight consecutive games to close out his rookie year. He says he’s “absolutely” planning on being with the team through the end of the regular season. Should that be the case, he will have only missed four contests â just under 25% of the campaign. The Week 10 bye helped lessen some of that blow.
Simmons admits it was tough to be away from his teammates, unable to help them in-game. He appreciates those who kept in touch with him as they balanced on-field obligations.
“I have got some teammates that were always checking in on me,” Simmons said. “They obviously had games and stuff like that, but when you have teammates like that, that definitely [helps]. I was itching to get back and fight for them.”
Speaking to the media on Monday, Reid tipped his cap to Simmons for his performance in Week 11’s loss to the Denver Broncos. Although he was credited with 4 pressures and committed some penalties, it certainly wasn’t all bad from the Ohio State product. He’s largely been effective as a rookie.
Rust, Simmons says, played a minor role in getting acclimated again.
“A little bit,” Simmons said. “I mean, 15’s [Nik Bonitto] an extremely gifted player, so going against that was a fair welcome back. But I think with the teammates I had throughout that week, they helped me up and kind of helped brush that stuff off.”
Sunday’s showdown against the Indianapolis Colts is the next step in potentially returning to normal for both Simmons and Co.
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