Josh Simmons wasn’t the only Chiefs offensive tackle to make himself indispensable during the preseason
The future is in good hands.
Improving the offensive tackle position was by far and away the Kansas City Chiefs’ top priority during the 2025 offseason.
They started off by signing veteran free agent Jaylon Moore to a two-year contract. Then, the Chiefs capitalized on Josh Simmons sliding down the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, selecting him with the 31st overall pick.
Not long after that, K.C. signed undrafted free agent Esa Pole. All three of those moves have paid off in a big way so far, but it’s the two rookies in particular that have been notably impressive. According to the 33rd Team, neither Simmons or Pole allowed a single quarterback pressure throughout the entire preseason.
Preseason or not, that is a very encouraging sign. The Chiefs had a turnstile at left tackle in 2024, starting Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris, D.J. Humphries, and Joe Thuney at various points throughout the season. Even right tackle Jawaan Taylor wasn’t his usual self as he battled through a knee injury for most of the year.
Fast forward to late July, Simmons locked down the starting LT job on the first day of training camp. He has stayed healthy coming off a torn patellar tendon in October, and looked great during his 26 snaps played in the preseason. As for Pole, his huge 6-foot-7, 320 pound frame grabbed everyone’s attention right off the bat.
Pole showed a lot of growth from the beginning of camp through the end of preseason. Allowing zero pressures on 46 snaps, nearly double that of Simmons, is outstanding even if he was playing against second and third team players. At this point it would be shocking if Pole didn’t make the 53-man roster.
It appears that the Chiefs have their franchise left tackle in Simmons, and Pole could back him up for years to come. K.C. could even try Pole at right tackle down the line if it were to move on from Taylor. Moore also remains in the mix, as does third-year man Morris. It’s safe to say that the Chiefs are night and day from where they were with the OT position this time last year.
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