Heading into Week 4 of the NFL season for the Kansas City Chiefs, one question lingered in the preseason and in preparation for the team’s fourth game: the status of left tackle Josh Simmons (Return).
At the podium before Wednesday’s practice, head coach Andy Reid announced that Simmons is dealing with a bulging disk in his lower back.
“[Josh] is progressing,” Reid began. “He has a bulging disk in his lower back, and it’s hindering his leg strength a little bit, but he’s doing it; he’s here every day to grind.”
“The positive thing is that he’s progressing and getting stronger,” Reid added. “Which of those backs are important, as well as all known backs can be a bit confusing.”
“He had the back checked, and there was a spot there that flared up,” Reid said. “Right now, you have to sit here and wait until that thing calms down. He’s out here working out and doing rehab stuff, so we’ll see where it goes.”
Now, looking forward to the fourth game of the season, Simmons is still off the practice field. Reid explained that the Chiefs “didn’t have to make any roster moves, so we didn’t have to put him in [the Reserve/Injured list] or anything.”
He added further context to Simmons’ stay on the active roster through the first four weeks of the schedule.
“The timeline- that’s half of not putting him on IR; you just never know with these things,” Reid said. “We just hang with it; the positive is that he’s here, he’s working, and he’s getting better. The exams that he had, he’s making progress, which is the biggest positive of everything.”
The head coach was asked about the possibility of surgery, as this was the first report of Simmons’ “bulging disk”.
“I think we’re headed in the right direction here, where that shouldn’t happen,” Reid shared. “We’ll see where it all goes. I think we’ll be, knock on wood, we’ll be in a good place with time here.”
In Simmons’ place, rookie left tackle Kahlil Benson has been filling in, but opponents think about him more each week. Against the Miami Dolphins, he allowed three quarterback hits, according to Pro Football Focus.
By all accounts, he will continue to man quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ blind side, but we’ll provide updates on Simmons’ status as injury reports come in this week.