Josh Simmons Back at Practice Is the Best News Chiefs Kingdom Got All Bye Week

The Chiefs came out of the bye with a mixed bag on Wednesday's injury report, and the good news matters more than the bad.

Our Take: left tackle Josh Simmons getting back on the field is a bigger deal for Sunday against the Chargers than Rashee Rice missing another week.

Per the team's official report, Simmons (back) was limited Wednesday, his first practice since training camp according to multiple reports, including the National Football Post. Patrick Mahomes (knee) was a full participant. L'Jarius Sneed (knee) was limited, and Chamarri Conner and Ben VanSumeren were full. Rice (hamstring/knee) did not practice, and FOX4 says he looks unlikely to play against L.A.

Missing Rice hurts. But this offense has been finding ways to move the ball with a young receiving group, and Mahomes talked this week about how much communication with those young guys matters. What it can't fake is blindside protection. A healthy Simmons means Mahomes can hold the ball a beat longer, the play-action shots open up, and Andy Reid doesn't have to build the whole plan around chipping the edge.

The Chargers are a division game coming off a bye week for us. That's the setup you want. Get Simmons through the rest of the week, keep Mahomes clean, and let the young receivers keep growing up. Rice will be back. The line has to be right first.

Sources: Chiefs.com Week 6 injury report