How Did Chiefs’ Josh Simmons Fare in the Preseason?

When the Kansas City Chiefs selected Josh Simmons at the end of the 2025 NFL draft, he was exactly the type of player they needed after they were embarrassed in the Super Bowl by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Protecting Patrick Mahomes was a top priority for the team, and they got potentially the best offensive lineman in the entire draft class at the end of the first round. Why was he available so late? Although his college tape was impressive, the quantity was limited due to an injury he sustained in his last year.

It's due to this injury that teams didn't want to spend their first-round pick on him, as his health was a liability. However, the Chiefs were in no position to complain, and it's due to that injury history that he was able to fall into their lap.

Preseason Performance

Aug 9, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Josh Simmons (71) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Dalton Wasserman is a sports writer for Pro Football Focus, and he recently released an article grading each first-round rookie's performance in the preseason. Simmons performed admirably in the preseason, earning him high praise.

"Simmons played in all three of the Chiefs’ preseason games and seems ready to perform well in pass protection come the regular season. He won all 15 of his reps this week as a pass blocker en route to an excellent 85.5 PFF pass-blocking grade", said Wasserman.

Simmons looked impressive in the preseason, and everyone knew his talent level; it was just a matter of whether he could remain healthy or not. Luckily for the Chiefs, they haven't run into any serious roadblocks so far, and he looks like a competent starter for them out of the gate.

How Did He Look?

Josh Simmons frontside kick out and overtake on the *shade*. This is one difficult block and one ridiculous block. pic.twitter.com/wB4iCOtZFk
— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) August 23, 2025

"His run blocking will hopefully improve in due time, but protecting Patrick Mahomes is the top priority for Kansas City. Simmons appears ready for the task".

In the above clip posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Simmons is seeing doing an excellent job at run blocking. He took the defender completely out of the play and stood his ground while driving them away.

The Chiefs' offensive line is their biggest X-factor for next season, and if Simmons can keep up his impressive play like he did in the preseason, the Chiefs may have set themselves up for the next five years with an All-Pro offensive lineman at the end of the draft.

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