Josh Simmons arrived at Chiefs camp in a different place than he was a year ago, and not just because he’s now a year deeper into his NFL career.
Last summer, the Kansas City left tackle was still turning heads simply by being available after a patellar tendon tear at Ohio State. That recovery let him take every 2025 training camp snap at left tackle with the first team, but the work around the injury never really stopped once he got to St. Joseph.
This year, Simmons says there’s more room to work with.
“You have a little bit more room on your plate to fit maybe an extra hour of film here,” Simmons said. “Maybe getting with the boys, something like that. You have some more time to add back into some on-the-field.”
That extra time matters for a player trying to build on a rookie year that was short on volume. Simmons started and played in only eight games, opening the season as the starter for the first five before a four-game personal leave. He returned for three more games, then his year ended on Thanksgiving Day when he fractured and dislocated his wrist.
Now he’s talking like someone focused on layering one season on top of the last.
“I’m just trying to add off of last year,” Simmons said. “Obviously, I went against a lot of good D-ends, and I have one year of familiarity with the playbook.
So it’s really just kind of stacking up on that. That way I can come into training camp ready physically, just get your body right for this process and transformation.”
One of the clearest changes this summer has been Simmons’ body. He drew attention during OTAs for looking slimmer, and in June he said he was between 285 and 290 pounds, at least 27 pounds lighter than he was at the NFL Scouting Combine. But by the time camp rolled around, he looked bigger again, and that added mass has shown up in live periods and one-on-ones.
Andy Reid said the added weight should serve him well.
“He put on weight in the offseason,” Reid said. “He’s been able to maintain it, and I think it’ll help him.
Not that he couldn’t do it at the other weight, but this gives him a little bit more lead in his pants. And yeah, it pays off for you over time.
It pays off for you during the season.”
There’s also a year of comfort working next to Kingsley Suamataia at left guard, something Simmons believes can sharpen the whole side of the line. He said the two are seeing things more naturally now and moving with better rhythm.
“I understand how he kind of goes about blocks now, what he’s seeing and when he’s coming to the line,” Simmons said. “If I can understand and have that telepathy with him, then I think we can play a lot faster.”
That kind of timing fits with what the Chiefs appear to want offensively this summer. The staff has emphasized running the ball from shotgun and under center, while the screen game has also shown up more often. With prized free-agent running back Kenneth Walker in the mix, Simmons knows exactly what the line is being asked to do.
“Extremely scary,” Simmons said. “We kind of know what 9 does and what he’s capable of doing. So as long as we can just target and get to our assignments, we know he’s going to take us home, 100%.”
Walker may have been the big offseason addition, but the offense only opens up if the line does its job in front of him. For Simmons, this summer has already looked like a step forward: more time, more weight, more comfort and more continuity. The rest now comes down to carrying it into the season.
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