Chiefs to place Josh Simmons on injured reserve; LT not eligible to return until Week 11

Oct 22, 2026 at 2:15 pm ET • 1 min read

The Kansas City Chiefs will be without their starting left tackle for a while longer. Josh Simmons will be placed on injured reserve, according to Chiefs head trainer Rick Burkholder.

"Josh worked his tail off and [was] diligent every day," Burkholder said, according to ESPN. "However, we feel he's plateaued in the rehab process. He's just not there yet."

Simmons has been dealing with a bulging disc in his lower back and has not practiced yet this season. He was listed on Wednesday's injury report as being out with a back injury and for personal reasons, which Burkholder said was because Simmons took the rest of the day off after the decision was made to place him on injured reserve, per ESPN.

Burkholder did say that Simmons does not need surgery on the bulging disc, but that he simply needs more time to recover from the injury.

Simmons was the Chiefs' first-round pick (No. 32 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft. He played in just eight games during his rookie season, missing time for personal reasons in Weeks 6 through 9 and then suffering a dislocated and fractured wrist in Week 13 that knocked him out for the remainder of the season.

Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson has been filling in for Simmons to start the season, and will presumably stick in the role at least until Simmons is eligible to return to the field in Week 11. Benson has been credited by Pro Football Focus with allowing 12 pressures through the first five games of the season, ranking 30th among 75 qualified tackles who have played at least 100 snaps.