The Kansas City Chiefs will be without their starting left tackle, Josh Simmons, for an extended period. He is being placed on injured reserve, as confirmed by Chiefs head trainer Rick Burkholder.

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

Simmons has been struggling with a bulging disc in his lower back and has yet to practice this season. On Wednesday, he was listed on the injury report as out due to both a back injury and personal reasons. Burkholder clarified that the personal reasons stemmed from Simmons taking the rest of the day off after the decision to place him on injured reserve was made.

Fortunately, Burkholder indicated that Simmons does not require surgery for the bulging disc, but he will need additional time to recover.

Drafted as the first-round pick (No. 32 overall) in the 2025 NFL Draft, Simmons had a challenging rookie season, playing only eight games. He missed time due to personal reasons from Weeks 6 through 9 and suffered a dislocated and fractured wrist in Week 13, which ended his season prematurely.