Rookie offensive tackle Josh Simmons, who was the Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 first-round pick (32nd overall), had been out of action for a little over three weeks. He took a sabbatical and was ruled out of action for NFL Weeks 6 through 9.
Upon his return, he remained vague about his 22-day absence as he spoke to the media, alluding to his time away from the team as a private, personal matter. He briefly elaborated on the topic, without getting into specifics.
"I kind of want to keep that in house, with all due respect," Simmons said, according to ESPN. "I know everybody wants to know, but it's something I want to keep, you know, [private].... Obviously, family is the biggest thing Polynesians lean on. When you get in that, it just makes everything a lot better."
The 6'5", 310-pound Ohio State product started the first five games of the season, and is generally regarded as the best option to protect Pat Mahomes' blind side for years to come.
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"There's always room [for improvement], but I think as a front we swung as hard as we could," he commented on the Chiefs' blocking corps. "... I think with the teammates that I had throughout that week, they helped me up and brush that [rust] off."
No backlash for the rookie from Chiefs coach
Apparently, the Chiefs had no qualms with Simmons for taking time off. He was welcomed back by teammates and the coaching staff.
"For being away for a few weeks here, I thought he did a nice job," Reid said of Simmons, who didn't miss any first-team practice repetitions last week. "He's got to clean up a couple of things with the penalties. But his effort, his attitude and everything was great. He was able to keep everything focused back to the football part of it."
"He had to take care of business, and he took care of it," Reid said.