‘We’re working on fine-tuning techniques’ – How the Kansas City Chiefs are setting one specific rookie up for success

There’s no secret that the Kansas City Chiefs really need Josh Simmons to pan out at the left tackle spot. They have a big need on the offensive line, and they took him in the first round for a reason — to protect Patrick Mahomes’ blindside.

But of course, some things need to be fixed and addressed. The talent is there, and we can all see it on the tape, well, what little of the tape there was. He can be a very good offensive tackle in the NFL for a very long time, but there are concerns, and we can’t act like there aren’t.

Of course, there are injury concerns, but the Chiefs wouldn’t have taken him if they weren’t confident in that situation. There are things that he needs to work on, just like every rookie does, to have a successful transition from college to the NFL.

“You know, I don’t necessarily know where Brett and our scouting department’s heads are at, so I just evaluate the draft, say they read my report, they’ll mix it in with the others,” Andy Heck said. “But definitely, you know, saw Josh [Simmons] as a first-round talent. We knew he had the knee, so the process here is job one — we got to get him healthy. So he’s in with Rick [Burkholder] and his staff. He’s been doing a phenomenal job working with those guys, and then little by little, he’s been doing more and more with us out on the field. So it was nice today. We were able to get him a few reps.”

The Chiefs had the 12th most blown blocks in pass sets last year, according to Sports Info Solutions. Wanya Morris had 29 of those, leading the team, with Kingsley Suamataia and Joe Thuney having 11 each. Those are the three players who played left tackle snaps last season. That cannot happen in 2025.

Simmons is supposed to fix that, maybe not right away, but by the end of the season, he should be a playable left tackle. He has the traits to do so.

“The first thing you can see is his explosive nature,” Heck continued. “I mean, everything he does is super quick. So we’re working on fine-tuning techniques. He’s able to do individual work within, you know, certain limits. And you know, so as we hone in on the techniques, I mean, we don’t want to take away from his athleticism. That’s one of his A-plus strengths.”

Andy Heck is one of the best offensive line coaches around and a huge reason why the Chiefs have had some good units up front over this dynasty. Sure, there have been some bad ones, but when you look at some of the development he has been able to bestow upon some of the young guys over the years, it’s really impressive.

Guys like Wanya Morris and Suamataia don’t really count — you can’t say they are failed players or developmental pieces yet, because they are still so young, and it’s not like they were drafted in the first round. Heck is going to make sure that Simmons turns into the player the Chiefs need him to be.

But it won’t come right away.