Coming into late April and early May, the Kansas City Chiefs' front office was likely going to go in one of two directions at offensive tackle. With their decision to draft a first-round lineman in the 2025 NFL Draft, they subsequently put a nail in the coffin for any further acquisitions on the veteran market.
The Chiefs added Ohio State offensive tackle Josh Simmons at No. 32 overall. If healthy, the move will be seen as a masterstroke for general manager Brett Veach and should lock down the position for at least the next half-decade in front of Patrick Mahomes.
While this is a major upside play for the Chiefs' future, it's bad news for the offensive tackles who were waiting in free agency to see how the draft might shake out.
The Chiefs already had a relationship with two such players in D.J. Humphries and Donovan Smith. And there's no denying that door is shut going forward.
If the Chiefs had not gone with Simmons—or had even gone with a lesser investment that was more of a developmental project—it might have made sense to call Humphries or another tackle after the draft to bolster the position through training camp. Now, however, there's no such need for any further moves at tackle.
Humphries felt like a player with a decent chance of returning to the Chiefs roster this offseason. He'd already chosen Kansas City as a free agent last December when he signed late in the year once he'd been declared healthy from a season-ending injury in 2023.
Josh Simmons seals Kansas City's plans at tackle—and ends any need for veteran reinforcements.
While Humphries immediately injured his hamstring in his first start back, both sides seemed amenable to a possible return in 2025. That would have given him a full offseason with the team to be able to come in Week 1 and compete after having gone through training camp with his teammates instead of being thrust into the lineup in the latter half of the regular season.
Donovan Smith was more of a long shot to be signed considering it'd been a full season since he'd played for the Chiefs. However, it's notable that Veach had been interested in him before, and if Humphries were removed from the market, Smith could have been another place to turn.
As it stands, the Chiefs are now well-stocked at the offensive tackle position—at least with options that they need to lean on into 2025. Simmons is the high-ceiling play who will be allowed plenty of time to prove he's healthy. Jaylon Moore is the newly-signed free agent to insert at left tackle on Week 1. Jawaan Taylor is the holdover starter at right tackle who is hopefully better after receiving rehab on his knee.
From there, Wayna Morris is quite capable of serving as a dependable swing tackle with Kingsley Suamataia able to slide back over from left guard in a pinch. Ethan Driskell is back as a developmental tackle who should be ready to blossom (if it's ever going to happen), while Esa Pole was just signed as an undrafted free agent and looks to surprise in minicamp.
For Humphries and Smith (and others like Jedrick Wills or George Fant or Germain Ifedi), the Chiefs are now closed for business unless an emergency arises. Free agent tackles will have to look elsewhere for potential homes for the 2025 season.
Essentially, the Chiefs are in a much stronger position at tackle than they've been in some time. While nothing is certain and there are questions all around, there are enough potential answers to avoid having to reach for another veteran to add to the mix.
