Chiefs' Brett Veach sneaks a concerning injury update into his Day 1 presser that could be big news for newcomer Josh Simmons

Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach tried to pull a fast one on media members on Thursday night after selecting Ohio State's Josh Simmons in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.  While everyone is focused on Simmons's knee injury at Ohio State, another knee injury in the Chiefs' offensive tackle room has slipped under […]

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach tried to pull a fast one on media members on Thursday night after selecting Ohio State's Josh Simmons in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

While everyone is focused on Simmons's knee injury at Ohio State, another knee injury in the Chiefs' offensive tackle room has slipped under the radar. Speaking to reporters on Thursday night, Chiefs GM Brett Veach confirmed that RT Jawaan Taylor is currently rehabbing from a 2024 NFL season knee injury. 

 “I think in the NFL – Patrick Mahomes is your quarterback – you can never have enough of those guys," Veach said. "What we did in the offseason and we talked about not wanting to do the trade with (G) (Joe) Thuney but just kind of had to from our standpoint, bringing in (OT) Jaylon Moore, but it’s a long season and Jaylon Moore has to stay healthy, and (OT) Jawaan (Taylor) is doing a great job with the rehab on his knee, but he has to stay healthy. You need these guys, and it’s such a premium position and hard to find anyway, so, I think the talent is there and if everything goes smoothly, it should be a fascinating battle."

Taylor dealt with a lingering knee injury for a good chunk of the season, often showing up on the injury report as a full participant. On days that the team practiced in the indoor facility, he was a limited participant. In the Week 16 game against the Houston Texans, the knee injury even cost him some playing time. The team never provided any details on the knee injury, but Veach's comments have made it apparent that it needed some extra attention and potentially even surgery. 

Jawaan Taylor's injury opens the door for Chiefs' newest offensive tackle Josh Simmons

While news of Taylor's rehab and recovery is less than ideal, this certainly opens an opportunity for Simmons to see the field earlier than expected. Of course, he would have to get the all-clear on his own injury. However, Simmons played right tackle at San Diego State University before transferring to Ohio State. According to PFF, he allowed four sacks and 24 total pressures in 404 pass-blocking snaps across 13 games. 

"I think you have some position versatility with these guys if everyone is healthy and up to speed with the playbook," Veach said. "You saw Josh (Simmons) play a little right tackle early on in his San Diego State days and you can probably move around guys. We always work to get the best five on. But you have him under contract now for five years, and the guys are so hard to find, so I'm excited about potential competition in summer training camp. Still, we also know that we have some time now to not rush him and make sure he develops at his pace according with his knee.” 

If the Chiefs found themselves in a situation where Taylor needed more time to get healthy, they could use Jaylon Moore and Josh Simmons as their bookend tackles. At the very least, this could provide some cross-training opportunities for Simmons, where he gets reps at left and right tackle during OTAs and training camp. It's also important to remember that the Chiefs can move off of Taylor in 2026 and save $20 million in salary cap space. 

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