KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s fairly common for players to see a bit of a setback in their second year in the NFL. Chiefs left tackle Josh Simmons is hoping to avoid that, as he already had plenty of ups and downs last season as a rookie.
After selecting Simmons in the first round, he showed why the Chiefs believe he could protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside for years to come. However, after a strong five-game start, he missed four games for personal reasons then came back for a few weeks only to suffer a wrist injury that sidelined him the last four games of the season, capping a frustrating end to his first year in the NFL having played in just eight games.
Simmons, though, said his play wasn’t up to par even when he was on the field.
“I wasn’t as consistent as I wanted to be,” Simmons said Tuesday as the Chiefs opened three-day minicamp. “I think a lot of people could see that. So that’s something I’m hammering at right now, trying to make everything look the same, whether it’s technique-wise, hand placement, stuff like that.”
Last year during offseason workouts, Simmons was still coming off a knee injury and was limited getting on-field reps. Now healthy, he’s trying to learn as quickly as possible.
“I’m just hammering, learning defenses, getting patterns from a defense that whether it’s a box or a D-line I can just take advantage of,” Simmons said.
To do that, Simmons has been working out and has come into minicamp in better shape. Simmons, though, said he’s looking to add a few pounds as he’s now at about 285 pounds and he wants to reach 300 pounds by Week 1. Last year, he played at about 310 pounds.
Simmons is also getting acclimated to new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy. Simmons said Bieniemy has made quite a first impression.
“He’s going to bring it,” Simmons said. “He’s intense. After that first meeting I was ready to run into a wall. So I’m glad he’s in the room, and we definitely feed off it.”
Simmons is also getting to see Mahomes in action just a few months after tearing his ACL. And in typical Mahomes fashion, he’s been impressive.
“He’s a dog,” Simmons said of Mahomes. “He’s going to be ready and he’s going to handle it.”
