Andy Reid has a rare appreciation for good left tackle play. It comes naturally. As a former offensive tackle himself in college, Reid knows the ins and outs of the position and the importance of being able to protect the quarterback. As the Kansas City Chiefs head coach, he's also grateful for anyone who can keep Patrick Mahomes upright.
That's what makes Reid so glad to see Josh Simmons occupying the role of LT for the Chiefs these days. The team's first-round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft came into the league with a sparkling resume, and he's lived up to the buzz through the first two games of the season.
Everyone is appreciative of rookie tackle Josh Simmons these days.
While the Chiefs went home frustrated from a 20-17 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 2, Simmons' emergence is a silver lining for a limited offense. And while Reid was indebted to Simmons for his overall performance in protection up front, he was particularly enamored with one particular play.
If you watched the Eagles-Chiefs game, then the play in question is clear: one in which Simmons stopped Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba for a pick-six.
The Chiefs' offense had cobbled together a long drive to potentially give themselves a lead in a game where the sledding was tough all afternoon. But as Mahomes was ready to cap the drive with a short touchdown pass to Travis Kelce, the tight end bobbled the catch instead and it bounced right into the arms of Mukuba, who took is back 40 yards—until Simmons caught up with him.
Chiefs rookie left tackle Josh Simmons reached a top speed of 18.35 mph to make a potential TD-saving tackle on Eagles safety Andrew Mukuba (19.70 mph), the third-fastest speed by an OL over the last two seasons.#PHIvsKC https://t.co/sdXSRrdLfb
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) September 14, 2025
"That was pretty impressive," said Reid in his remarks to the media on Monday. "For a big guy to be able to run like that, first of all, is something. You got a chance to see his athletic ability and body control and all that."
The only frustrating thing with Simmons' effort is that it had to come on such a demoralizing play for the Chiefs. In a game against a team like the Eagles, there's no margin for silly mistakes and it cost Kansas City a victory with such a swing in points and momentum.
"You hate to have it in that situation for it to show up, but that part was impressive, and just his want to to get there was impressive. A lot of guys in this league would stand around and watch as opposed to chasing, and he chased along with the other guys. They just weren’t quite fast enough to get there, but he did a nice job with that."
While the Chiefs are 0-2 for the first time in Mahomes' career, Simmons' performance is at least something to build on for the future.