The Kansas City Chiefs are set to place starting left tackle Josh Simmons on injured reserve. Simmons has been unable to return to the field after suffering a back injury during training camp.

Chiefs VP of Sports Medicine and Performance Rick Burkholder took the podium on Thursday afternoon. He walked media members through the timeline and situation surrounding Simmons. It’s the most in-depth information provided on Simmons’ injury and what he’s been going through over the past several months.

The timeline of Kansas City Chiefs LT Josh Simmons’ back injury

It began on Aug. 17, when Simmons reported discomfort in one leg during practice and couldn’t put weight on it. The initial concern was a knee injury. That’s because it was the same leg he had surgically repaired during the 2024 college football season.

Burkholder’s comments made it clear that this was a unique injury.

“Alright, so I want to talk about Josh Simmons and give you a little timeline here,” Burkholder said. “On August 17, Josh came to me with calf discomfort and a feeling that he couldn’t put weight on a single leg in training camp practices. This was the same leg that he had knee surgery on in 2024. He was evaluated by our physicians, who thankfully suspected a low back injury instead of a lower leg or knee ailment, so we obtained an MRI at St. Joe that confirmed that he had a bulging herniated disc in his lumbar spine.

“That disc problem was higher up than what we normally see in our offensive linemen, which complicated the case. We recommended a second opinion as we always do with all of our injured guys, and through his agent and Josh, they selected a spine specialist in California that we have used previously, and that is really well-known in the NFL. He went there, was evaluated, and the recommendation was to do rehabilitation, not surgery, with the intent that we would do an MRI in the future, in the near future, to see what that disc looked like. So, Josh continued to progress, and the repeat MRI a few weeks later showed that the disc had improved, so no surgery was recommended, and rehab would continue.”

Chiefs HC Andy Reid hinted at this when Simmons returned to practice last week. He noted that returning to practice was a big deal, given the question of whether he could get back on the field at all.

Why was Simmons listed with the “personal” designation on Wednesday’s injury report?

Behind the scenes, the team has been in constant communication with Simmons. They wanted to know how he feels and how the injury has been healing. Burkholder praised Simmons for his diligent work throughout rehab and recovery. After a week of limited practices ahead of Week 6’s game, it became apparent that Simmons had hit a plateau.

“Throughout this process, we’ve had frequent communication with the second opinion, with our doctors, and Josh and his agent,” Burkholder said. “Josh worked his tail off. He worked diligently with my staff every day and has improved to the point where he returned to practice in a limited capacity last week. However, 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. 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, and that’s why he was listed yesterday as both personal and with the back injury. As we determine these next steps, he took the day off to get with his people.”

Simmons was listed as out for personal reasons on Wednesday. The team ultimately gave him the time he needed to decide on the best path forward. That path? Placing him on the IR list.

Why the Chiefs are placing Simmons on injured reserve

That decision to place Simmons on injured reserve is about rehab and recovery. The team wants to give him more time to return to “full function.” Placement on injured reserve means Simmons will miss at least four games. The earliest he could return is Week 11’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.

“It was decided and agreed upon by everybody, his people, his agent, and him, myself, Andy (Reid), (Brett) Veach, that he should be placed on IR to give him more time to return to full function,” Burkholder said. “He’ll continue with the rehab process with the goal of returning to play at the high level that he achieved in the past. I give a lot of credit to Josh, my docs, my physicians, and my staff. I just give him a ton of credit for navigating through this injury to the point where surgery is not recommended, and that he just needs more time to return to full function. So, I hope that sheds some light on the situation, and I appreciate you guys always.”

At this point, it’s not reasonable to expect Simmons back in four weeks. This injury is difficult for both Simmons and the team to navigate. There is one positive note. Burkholder emphasized that surgery is still not among the recommended options and that this injury will get better with rest.

What this means for the Chiefs’ left tackle position

The Chiefs have a left tackle answer for now. Kahlil Benson’s doing an extremely impressive job given his status as an undrafted rookie. He was the AFC’s Offensive Rookie of the Month in September.

The longer Benson stays in the lineup as the starter, the less likely he is to hand the job to Simmons when Simmons is healthy and ready to return. Kansas City will get a long look at Benson over the next several weeks, and how he holds up could shape the team’s plans at one of the most important spots on the offensive line.