Andy Reid Explains Left Tackle Josh Simmons’ Back ‘flared Up’

There are under two weeks to go until the Kansas City Chiefs open the 2026 regular season. Next Thursday, the team will get together for its first game-week practice ahead of “Monday Night Football” against the Denver Broncos in Week 1.

The list of lingering training-camp injuries has died down since the Chiefs left St. Joseph, Missouri, but one is still heavy on the minds of coaches, fans, and all stakeholders. Left tackle Josh Simmons (Back) did not practice on Wednesday, the first practice of the week, and has not participated on the field since the injury was first announced during the last week of practice at Missouri Western State University.

Head coach Andy Reid has shared little about the severity of the injury that has kept Simmons off the field for weeks, but on Wednesday he provided the local media pool with more information.

“He had the back checked, and there’s a spot in there that flared up,” Reid said. “Now, you have to sit here and wait until that thing calms down. He has been here working out and doing the rehab stuff, so we’ll see where it goes.”

When it comes to professional athletes’ backs, it’s uneasy to hear the words ‘flared up’ accompanied by it, especially for offensive linemen. At 31 years old, two years removed from first-team All-Pro honors, former Chiefs right tackle Mitchell Schwartz exited a regular-season game with a back injury, eventually retiring because of it.

At 23 years old, there’s reason to believe Simmons is in a positive position to overcome an injury, but back discomfort is especially difficult to leave in the rearview mirror. Especially as an offensive lineman, whose job is to run into 300-pound defensive linemen 50-60 times a game.

In Simmons’ absence, it’s unclear to the public how the offensive line will shake out. However, Reid told reporters he had “a pretty good idea” about how a starting five would look without Simmons.

“The other guys are doing a nice job in there,” Reid said. “It was good to see our guys roll without Josh in there, but it was also good to see the new guys get practice in too.”

The anxiety surrounding Simmons’ availability needs to be held in, waiting until the practice report comes out after next Thursday’s practice. Until then, it’s entirely plausible that a minor back injury is treated with extreme precaution with no game coming up this weekend.

Other injury updates

Left guard Kingsley Suamataia (Illness) left practice early. Defensive tackle Chris Jones (Back) did not practice.