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Chiefs Not Shutting Door On Rookie Starting Week 1

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jun 19, 2025 9:39 PM ET

The left tackle position for the Kansas City Chiefs will be an interesting watch at training camp with both Jaylon Moore and Josh Simmons battling it out to be Patrick Mahomes' blindside protector.

Moore was signed in free agency to a two-year, $30 million deal, so naturally, the thought was that he would be the starter. However, the Chiefs didn't stop there and drafted Simmons in the first round to have competition for the position.

Given that Simmons was recovering from a torn patellar tendon injury, he was a slow burn to begin the offseason, but he has ramped up his rehab and is now looking ready to go for training camp if things continue.

And head coach Andy Reid isn't shutting down the idea of Simmons being the starter.

“Potentially yes,” Reid said. “You can see his athletic ability, you can see his want to, he's got a great attitude, he's approached everything the right way, plus a little bit extra. If you just want to look at his rehab, you can see that he had a mindset that I'm get in there, it's not going to be training camp, it's going to be now, and he worked his tail off to get there, so you respect that.

"We'll see what training camp does to him, it's different when things are flying fast up there and you've got full contact and pads on, and see how he does.”

So training camp looms as the big test for Simmons to show that everything he's learned at OTAs and minicamp can then be translated onto the field, and with full contact.

The left side of the offensive line, for most, has big question marks surrounding it, but those questions might be answered in training camp if Josh or Jaylon can prove, without a doubt, that they deserve to be the starter.

The competition won't be a quick one, as the Chiefs will want to get a good look at both before making a decision.

However, the fact that Reid is already potentially thinking of Josh as a starter might tell us which way he and the coaching staff are already leaning.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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