The Kansas City Chiefs are all gas, no brakes at rookie minicamp, but one player who isn’t is first-round pick Josh Simmons.
After suffering a torn patella tendon injury last season with Ohio State that limited him to just six games, the left tackle is diving into his rehab with the Chiefs as minicamp gets underway.
Given how important it is for rookies to get on the field, and be a part of the early installs, having Simmons on the sidelines isn’t ideal, but head coach Andy Reid is liking what little he’s seen of Josh so far.
“Josh is doing mostly the individual work,” Reid said. “We try to keep him out of the team stuff if we’re going against a defense, so just taking it slow. We’re just getting a feel where he’s at with us, with this. He had a heavy travel schedule during the 30-visit thing, so just make sure that thing’s strong [his knee] and he looks like he’s got some talent there.”
And that talent just got paid.
Chiefs first-round pick Simmons on Sunday signed his four-year, fully-guaranteed contract worth $14,675,353.
Meanwhile …
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Set to compete with free agent signing Jaylon Moore for the left tackle spot, it will be a slow process for Simmons in his first NFL offseason.
In an ideal world, the Chiefs would build him up to the point where he can begin training camp in the coming months, and that is where Josh can really get down to business.
But for now, it’s all mental reps for the first-round pick as the last thing Kansas City wants is for its first-round pick to break down.
Yes, the talent is there, but the Chiefs know that playing the cautious game is the way to go, despite Simmons’ obvious talent.
