Chiefs' 1st-round pick gets bad news on starting lineup chances

Fans often want first-round picks to break through right away.

That might not be what happens for the Kansas City Chiefs and Josh Simmons.

The offensive tackle out of Ohio State went to K.C. with the final pick of the first round in April.

Sports Illustrated's NFL insider Albert Breer doesn't think Simmons will start in Week 1.

Here's how Breer lays out his case in a recent mailbag:

I’d be surprised if Josh Simmons, a wildly talented young tackle, is ready for Week 1. The Chiefs paid Jaylon Moore $15 million per year to come over from San Francisco to, at the very least, stopgap the left tackle spot, and I’d expect he’ll be out there in Week 1.

Also, Simmons’s high ceiling comes with a healthy amount of growth needed, which is the case with most offensive linemen coming into the NFL. He’ll lose some development time as he continues to work his way back from the ruptured patellar tendon he suffered last October, an injury considered more challenging to return from—particularly for a big man—than a torn ACL.

The most likely scenario is Moore at left tackle, Jawaan Taylor at right tackle and Simmons seeing playing time somewhere at some point, with Simmons at left tackle, Moore at right tackle and Taylor gone in 2026.

That all pretty much checks out.

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The return from injury is definitely the most difficult part of things for Simmons.

Not only does he have to be fully healthy, he has to be confident enough in his body to comfortably win a starting job.

He'll be a great piece for the Chiefs in front of Patrick Mahomes eventually. They can probably afford to let him take his time initially, though.

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