ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- The easy story is the number on the scale.
Josh Simmons, the Chiefs' second-round rookie left tackle from Ohio State, showed up to mandatory minicamp noticeably lighter than his college playing weight. The team celebrated it publicly on June 12, a simple positive: Simmons had dropped weight, moved better, looked more fluid in drills. Check the box, move on.
Then Andy Reid stood at the podium Friday and complicated everything.
"Josh may gain weight, but you don't want cheeseburger weight," the head coach said, delivering a line that deserves more than a quick laugh. Because buried in that folksy warning is the central tension of Simmons' entire rookie season.
The Chiefs need him to get bigger. They just need him to do it the right way.
And that right way--the difference between adding functional mass and simply eating your way into a roster spot--may determine whether Kansas City's offensive line holds together in 2026 or becomes the liability that derails another Super Bowl run.
The Weight Tightrope
Simmons arrived at Ohio State listed at 6-foot-6 and 315 pounds. By the time the Chiefs drafted him in April 2025, the tape showed a tackle who could mirror pass rushers in space but occasionally got walked back into the pocket by power rushers. The weight loss the team lauded this week likely helped his movement skills, which is critical for a left tackle tasked with protecting Patrick Mahomes' blind side.
But there is such a thing as too light.
NFL defensive ends in the AFC West do not play at 300 pounds. Maxx Crosby plays at 255 with the burst of a cornerback and the violence of a defensive tackle. Joey Bosa plays at 280 with elite length. The Chiefs' own George Karlaftis plays at 270 and wins with power more than finesse. If Simmons sheds too much mass, he will spend Sundays getting walked into Mahomes' lap.
Reid's comment acknowledges the obvious course correction: Simmons will need to add weight. The question is the quality of that weight.
"Cheeseburger weight" is Reid's shorthand for the kind of mass that slows a player down without making him stronger. It is the 15 pounds that show up on the scale but not in the weight room. It is the difference between a tackle who can anchor against bull rushes and a tackle who simply takes up more space while getting driven backward the same distance.
The Chiefs' strength staff now has a specific mandate: get Simmons bigger without losing the athleticism that made him a second-round pick.
Why This Matters More Than Usual
Kansas City's offensive line in 2025 was good. It was not great.
The tackle spots, in particular, produced inconsistent results. Kingsley Suamataia, the 2024 second-rounder, is now entering his third season and still searching for the consistency that made him a high pick. Jaylon Moore, signed as a veteran option, profiles as a competent starter but not a long-term solution. Matt Waletzko and Ethan Driskell provide depth but no ceiling.
Simmons represents the highest upside of any tackle on this roster. He also carries the highest variance.
If he adds the right weight--lean muscle, functional strength, maintained agility--he could win the left tackle job by training camp and hold it for the next decade. Mahomes has played behind elite left tackle play in his career (Eric Fisher, then Donovan Smith from 2023-2024). When that protection slips, the offense becomes noticeably more constrained.
If Simmons adds the wrong weight--or fails to add enough--he becomes a project tackle who needs a redshirt year. And the Chiefs, with Justin Fields now in the quarterback room alongside Mahomes, cannot afford a rotating door at the sport's second-most important position.
The Development Arc
This is the part of the calendar where rookie struggles get projected into full-season narratives, and that is almost always a mistake. June 13 is six weeks from the start of training camp. Simmons has not taken a single NFL preseason snap. The pads are not on yet.
But Reid's public comment signals something important: the coaching staff is watching this closely. It is not a throwaway line. Reid does not waste press conference time on irrelevant details. When he talks about a specific rookie's weight gain strategy, he is sending a message to the player, the strength staff, and the fan base.
Simmons should not panic. He should focus on what the nutritionists and strength coaches tell him, not what the scale says.
The target weight for a Chiefs left tackle, historically, has hovered around 310 to 320 pounds with low body fat. Simmons likely needs to land in that range with the better movement skills his weight loss has unlocked. That is a delicate balance, but it is achievable over the eight weeks between now and the start of training camp.
What I Think
Here is the judgment this story demands: Josh Simmons will be the Chiefs' starting left tackle by Week 1 of the 2026 season, and he will be better for Reid's public prodding than he would have been without it.
The organization has a track record of developing offensive linemen. Creed Humphrey was a second-round pick who became a top-three center. Trey Smith was a sixth-round pick who became a Pro Bowl guard. The infrastructure exists for Simmons to succeed.
But the margin for error is thinner than the box score suggests. If Simmons adds weight the wrong way--if he shows up to camp at 325 with reduced foot speed--the Chiefs have to pivot. Moore or Suamataia would start. Simmons would spend the season as a project.
Reid's comment this week was not a critique. It was a roadmap. He told the rookie exactly what not to do. Smart rookies listen.
Simmons has the tape. He has the athleticism. Now he needs the discipline to build a professional body the professional way. No shortcuts. No cheeseburger weight.
The left tackle of the Chiefs' future is in the building. Whether he becomes the left tackle of the Chiefs' present depends on what he puts on his plate between now and September.
