Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid said left tackle Josh Simmons practiced on a limited basis Wednesday for the first time this season, while wide receiver Rashee Rice was the only player scheduled to miss the first practice after the bye.
The Chiefs are 4-0 heading into Sunday’s home game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Simmons has been out since mid-August with a bulging disc in his back. Rice left the Week 4 win over the Las Vegas Raiders after five snaps with a hamstring injury and tried to return before the training staff shut him down.
“Just got to ease him back in”
Reid made no promises about Simmons playing this week and said he has not even mapped how the offensive line would change if the tackle is cleared.
“Just got to ease him back in,” Reid said. “We’ll just see, ease him into practice. So, he’s going to practice, but on a limited basis there.” On whether the staff has thought about how Simmons would fit next to the current group, Reid added, “I haven’t even gone there. I’m just glad he’s having a chance to come back. When we start dealing with backs, you’ve got to ease it back in if you can get back in at all.”
Undrafted rookie Kahlil Benson has been starting at left tackle with veteran Mike Caliendo next to him at left guard, a combination that held up in Las Vegas but still left Patrick Mahomes taking eight hits and two sacks.
Rice day to day, Norman-Lott still waiting
Reid said Rice “will be the only one that doesn’t go today” and that everyone else was scheduled to do something. Asked whether Rice could practice later in the week, Reid left it open.
“Yeah, we’ll just kind of see how it goes,” Reid said. “He’s actually feeling pretty good as he goes here, but we’ll see. I mean, those things you start dealing with hamstrings, it could be a week, could be two weeks. You don’t know. But I know he’s eager to get back in.”
Kansas City is already thin at receiver after moving Tyquan Thornton to injured reserve with a season-ending ankle injury. Defensive tackle Omarr Norman-Lott, eligible to return from the reserve/PUP list after a 2025 ACL tear, is still not ready to open his window. “He is getting better,” Reid said. “He’s out working out with the trainers and doing that, but it’s getting closer.”
Mahomes wants the ball out faster
Mahomes, speaking the same day, pointed at himself first after the bye. He wants the deep shots when they are there and a quicker release when they are not, after his time-to-throw jumped to a season-high 3.04 seconds against the Raiders.
“Continue to hit the deep shots when they’re there, but then when it’s not there, maybe get the ball out of my hand a little bit quicker,” Mahomes said. “Get it to guys where I’m not taking some of those hits.”
He also stressed finishing full games without dry spells and leaning on Kenneth Walker, who still ranks near the top of the league in rushing after four games. How far Simmons and Rice advance by Sunday will shape how much of that plan Kansas City can run against the Chargers.
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