The Kansas City Chiefs are heading into their Week 7 Sunday Night Football date with the Seattle Seahawks short another key piece up front, with left tackle Josh Simmons being moved to injured reserve because his back injury has stalled out.
Simmons has been dealing with the issue since training camp and still hasn’t made his 2026 regular-season debut. There was a brief moment of encouragement before Kansas City’s Week 6 win over the Los Angeles Chargers, when he was limited in all three practices leading into the game.
But that window closed fast. He didn’t suit up against the Chargers, then sat out practice again Wednesday before the Chiefs made the IR move official Thursday.
Chiefs vice president of sports medicine and performance Rick Burkholder said Thursday that Simmons initially reported calf discomfort in August, but an MRI showed the real problem was a bulging disc in his back. After some progress through rehab, a later evaluation showed his recovery had plateaued. Surgery is not being recommended right now, and Simmons, his family doctors and the Chiefs have agreed that more time off the field and continued rehabilitation is the best path forward.
The timing couldn’t be much tougher for Kansas City’s offensive front. The Chiefs were hoping Simmons could eventually help settle the left side of the line, but now they’ll have to keep moving without him for at least four games because of the IR designation.
There’s also a chance the Chiefs are missing another tackle. Right tackle Jaylon Moore is in the concussion protocol after exiting Sunday’s win over the Chargers, and he did not practice Wednesday. If Moore can’t go, Kansas City could be forced into multiple changes up front against a Seattle defense that will be trying to get after Patrick Mahomes.
For a unit that was finally trying to get healthier, Simmons’ move to IR is another hit.
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