Patrick Mahomes will have to keep playing without his expected blindside protector for a while longer. In the lead-up to a Week 7 "Sunday Night Football" road game against the Seattle Seahawks, the 5-0 Kansas City Chiefs are placing left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve, Rick Burkholder announced on Thursday
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Burkholder, the team's vice president of sports medicine and performance, provided reporters with a detailed timeline of Simmons' bulging herniated disc in his lumbar spine, a back injury that's kept the second-year pro sidelined all season.
In the process, Burkholder, now in his 14th season with the Chiefs, explained that, while Simmons returned to practice in a limited capacity last week, Kansas City's medical staff didn't deem the 2025 No. 32 overall pick ready for game action.
"We feel that he's plateaued in the rehab process as he's trying to get to the final steps of recovery with return to competition, and he's just not there yet," Burkholder said. "After discussion with Josh yesterday, we gave him some time to talk with his family and his representatives to investigate next steps as he goes through this process."
That's why Simmons was listed with both "personal" and "back" next to his name on the team's injury report after not practicing on Wednesday, Burkholder clarified.
Simmons was allowed the day off to congregate with his family and agent. Burkholder said everyone, including Simmons and head coach Andy Reid, agreed that Simmons should be put on IR "to give him more time to return to full function."
At this point, Simmons' back injury still doesn't require surgery, according to Burkholder.
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