Chiefs Have 'True Battle' At 1 Position At Training Camp

For most of last season, and the majority of the offseason, the Kansas City Chiefs' offensive line and its inability to protect Patrick Mahomes have been a major storyline.

General manager Brett Veach went about rectifying that, signing Jaylon Moore in free agency, while also drafting left tackle Josh Simmons in the first round.

With Moore signing a two-year deal, the expectation is that he will begin training camp as the No. 1 option for Mahomes as his blindside protector, but don't discount Simmons, who is recovering well from his knee injury that ended his college season early last year.

Right now, the starting position is up for grabs, and for ESPN, the left tackle spot is the biggest storyline to watch for Kansas City at training camp.

"Poor left tackle play seemed like it was going to sink the Chiefs' offensive ship for months of the 2024 season, but nevertheless, that stubborn and incremental offense made it all the way to Super Bowl LIX before the bill finally came due," ESPN writes.

"Both options come with risk -- Moore was only ever a spot starter with the 49ers, and Simmons is coming off a patella injury and still recovering from surgery. Simmons is expected to be full-go at training camp, which opens the job up to a true battle."

In an ideal world, Moore and Simmons would battle, and then Simmons, who is clearly the projected long-term starter, would usurp the four-year backup.

Of course, things in the NFL rarely go that smoothly, but the Chiefs will hope that the starting decision will be made for them, with either player proving with on-field production that they have elevated themselves above the other.

With Mahomes sacked 47 times, including the playoffs, last season, easily the most of his career, the Chiefs can't let their best asset hit the turf that often.

Which is why figuring out who the left tackle will be in 2025 is a rather critical question to answer.