The Latest on Chiefs' Josh Simmons Situation

Offered an opportunity to share details on whether Simmons would practice this week, play in Sunday’s game against the Raiders (12 p.m. CT, CBS/KCTV, Channel 5, 96.5 The Fan) or even when he would return, period, Reid chose not to speculate.

“Yeah, I'm just gonna let it go here.”

Less than five hours before kickoff on Sunday, before the Chiefs would defeat the Lions in a primetime matchup, the team announced Simmons was questionable for personal reasons. Four hours later, Kansas City ruled him out.

“I'll keep conversations kind of between us,” Mahomes added Wednesday. “But I'm always praying for him. I'm praying for all my teammates. So, I'm always praying for them, and I’ll keep everything else kind of private to us.”

What a roster move could look like

The fact that Reid mentioned Veach could indicate the team is considering a roster move. Placing Simmons on a reserve list such as non-football illness/injury would force him to miss at minimum four games, the NFL confirmed for OnSI Wednesday.

Even though Simmons’ ranked among the NFL’s top left tackles over his first five games as a pro, the situation is far from debilitating from a personnel standpoint. That’s because Veach and the Chiefs signed Jaylon Moore as a free agent five weeks before drafting Simmons.

Moore started on short notice – and little sleep – and allowed one pressure for most of the game until Al-Quadin Muhammad sacked Mahomes in the fourth quarter. If the Chiefs need to again start Moore at left tackle, the quarterback has full trust in the veteran blindside protector.

“I think it's just I know the work that Jaylon has put in,” Mahomes added Wednesday. “He's been a professional every single day, every time he's been in there, if that's been left tackle, right tackle, guard, wherever it is. He's done his job and done it well.

“And so, having those reps in training camp and throughout OTAs, I know that he's going to go out there and battle, and he's done a lot of great things that you just haven't seen on the field. So, you see it now that he's a starting tackle in this league, and can go out there and compete against anybody.”

Heck of foresight

Reid on multiple occasions has credited his offensive line coach, Andy Heck, for having Moore ready to play – not just physically, but mentally. And Moore has earned respect for how he’s handled the awkward situation of signing as a big-money free agent only to begin the season as a reserve offensive lineman.

“And he's handled that part well,” Reid added. “I mean, listen, he's a competitive kid, and he did come here to step in, and you never know … But he's always ready, and he practices a third of the practice, because Andy rotates him in there.

“So, I thought he did a nice job the other night, played well. And we have a lot of trust in him. Most of all, the guys around him have trust in him. So that's the most important thing.”