Chiefs On SI Mailbag: What if Josh Simmons Doesn't Play vs. Broncos?

The Kansas City Chiefs are less than a week away from their first game of the NFL season on Monday Night Football against the Denver Broncos, but these last few days have been quite eventful for the Chiefs.

On this edition of the Chiefs On SI mailbag, where we take your questions from @chiefs_kcsn on Twitter/X and @jbbrisco.com on Bluesky, we're starting with the topic of the week.

What's going on with Josh Simmons, and what will the Chiefs do if he doesn't play in Week 1? -virtually everyone

I'm bending the rules by combining more than a dozen similar questions into one, but I'll give the question-asking credit to @BobbyKCchief, who correctly predicted the future: "Every comment in this thread is going to be about Josh Simmons."

Yes, most of this week's questions involved Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons. On Tuesday, head coach Andy Reid said that "there's a good chance Josh doesn't play this week," putting Simmons' nagging back injury into a particularly serious context.

Somewhat surprisingly, Reid also inferred that undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson would be the likely replacement for Simmons at left tackle. Reid didn't fully rule out the possibility that veteran tackle Jaylon Moore could flip from the right side to the left, but Reid's comments on Tuesday seemed to indicate that Benson would step straight into the starting lineup.

If Benson does end up starting at left tackle, it would be an interesting development for a player who spent his entire college career on the right side. Benson started practicing at left tackle when Simmons was injured in training camp, but until then, his reps came on the right side, either at tackle or guard.

Not saying it can't work. Not saying he hasn't crushed in practice. We will all find out together BUT

According to PFF, Benson played 0 game snaps at LT in college (six years). And 6 snaps during the PS. High school is more unknown but the HUDL highlights show RT/RG not LT. https://t.co/T36wViF8al
— Matt Lane (@Matty_KCSN) September 8, 2026

Before Reid's media availability, I would have expected Moore to start at left tackle and for Benson to take the right tackle job in Simmons' possible absence, considering that Moore stepped in for Simmons at left tackle for four games last season. Now, I'm not so sure. Perhaps Reid sees value in keeping the Broncos guessing too, but either way, missing Simmons would be a significant blow to the offense.

Are we too fragile to realistically expect a true playoff-contending team? Questions (big+small) in almost every room. -@oscarbobo.bsky.social

No, I don't think it's time to drastically lower your expectations! Here's something I have to remind myself of often: Every other fan base is going through a similar exercise. Every team—or every team east of the Los Angeles Rams—has some sort of pending "fatal flaw," a position group that keeps them up at night, or a quarterback who's never proven himself in the postseason. When you spend every day picking through one team, you're going to find the flaws and questions.

Meanwhile, you also have to look for the reasons your squad will be a contender or a champion. Funnily enough, I think something like half of the league could talk themselves into a best-case scenario where they're the ones hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at the end of the season. That's the uncomfortable thing for Chiefs fans right now, though. Since at least 2019, Kansas City has been among the undeniable favorites to win it all. Right now, they're not. They're in the upper-middle-class range of the NFL, sharing that space with pretty much everyone except the Rams and the dozen-or-so teams whose seasons almost certainly won't see the postseason.

So yes, it's weird, but no, you shouldn't eject your expectations.

The Chiefs….

1. Were *historically* unlucky last year

2. Have/added a bunch of exciting young players on defense

3. Are led by the best QB of his generation

Are we overlooking the turnaround potential? pic.twitter.com/mGoXDW5Vpp
— Mina Kimes (@minakimes) September 8, 2026

Is there any scenario where you don’t play a healthy Mahomes in Week 1? -@kcr8rh8r

Nope! Patrick Mahomes has done all of his offseason work in order to be back for this game. If he can play, he's playing, and it wouldn't be his first time managing a less-than-100% body behind a less-than-100% offensive line.

I'm ultimately glad the Chiefs didn't play Mahomes in the preseason—the risk/reward there, also dealing with banged-up O-lines, wasn't worth it—but now, the games count. We don't know when Simmons will return, but if Simmons would have been injured on the first drive of Monday night's game, you would not have pulled Mahomes along with him. It's going to be stressful to watch Mahomes be pressured and hit for the first several games of the season, but there's no amount of rest that could change that fact now.

Potentially playing without his first-round blindside protector is far less than ideal, but I'd rather suit up at left tackle myself than be the guy who tries to tell a healthy Mahomes that he can't play in the team's season-opener.

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