Andy Reid Seeks Top Talent for Open Left Tackle Spot

Kansas City Chiefs Begin 2025 Training Camp with New Challenges

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their 2025 training camp with a press conference held at the team dormitory on the campus of Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph. This marks the start of an intense period for the team as they prepare for the upcoming season.

The schedule for the week includes athletic testing and the opening team meeting on Monday, followed by the first official workout on Tuesday. It is during this time that the coaching staff will begin assessing key positions, particularly the competition at left tackle, which is expected to be one of the most anticipated battles of the camp.

To strengthen their offensive line, the Chiefs made two significant moves in free agency and the draft. They signed former San Francisco 49ers backup Jaylon Moore and selected Ohio State rookie Josh Simmons with the No. 32 overall pick in the first round. Initially, it seemed the plan was to rotate both players at left tackle. However, head coach Andy Reid revealed a twist during the press conference: starting right tackle Jawaan Taylor will open the camp on the physically-unable-to-perform (PUP) list.

Reid explained the decision, stating, “Jawaan is out for the beginning of it, so we’ll just flip those two guys, and they’ll work in there.” He also mentioned that assistant coach Andy Heck rotates players frequently, suggesting that the initial plan may evolve as the season progresses.

Later in the presser, Reid hinted that Taylor’s absence from the PUP list would be short-lived. Once he returns, there could be a more traditional rotation at left tackle between Moore and Simmons, with Taylor resuming his role as the starting right tackle.

Reid outlined the criteria for determining who will ultimately win the starting left tackle position. He emphasized the importance of finding the best player who can provide consistency in the role. “We didn’t have that last year, and so let’s work at it and see what we come up with,” he said. The coach acknowledged that there are several strong candidates for the position and that the evaluation process will continue throughout the camp.

Josh Simmons, who recently recovered from a torn patellar tendon sustained while playing for Ohio State in mid-October, has already impressed the coaching staff. By the end of organized team activities (OTAs), he had met all the expectations set for him. After minicamp, Reid confirmed that Simmons would be fully ready for training camp. However, his efforts did not stop there.

“He stayed up here this whole break,” said Reid of Simmons. “He’s been here, working his tail off... in the way he finished Phase 3. But it looks like he’s ready to go, and we’ll keep an eye on him and see where he’s at. But his condition — he was good when he was out there — and he seems to be a worker, so we’ll just have to see. He’s never been through one of these, so we gotta see how it goes.”

When asked about a timeline for naming a starter, Reid suggested that the team hopes to have a clear idea by the end of their stay in St. Joseph in mid-August. “I think by the time you get out of this thing, you’d like to have an idea who that is, right? You want to have a feel on it. So we evaluate these guys — every player — for whether it’s a light practice or a hard practice, they’re evaluated and graded and so on. So, we’ll see how it all sorts out.”