Patrick Mahomes took another major hit to his offense, which could jeopardize the Kansas City Chiefs’ results next season

he Kansas City Chiefs are still trying to assemble the best possible team for the 2025 season, where they are favorites to return to the Super Bowl from the AFC. Interestingly, in the NFC, the favorites are the Philadelphia Eagles, so projections suggest a potential rematch for the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

The reality is that in the NFC, the Eagles are strong contenders, with a very competitive roster across all phases of the game. In the AFC, there’s no doubt the Chiefs are also favorites-perhaps mainly because of Patrick Mahomes-since several AFC teams are arguably more well-rounded than their NFC counterparts.

The Chiefs need their offense to become explosive again. During long stretches of last season, that unit stalled due to injuries to wide receivers and, most notably, the complete lack of protection for Mahomes. Recall that in the last Super Bowl, he was sacked six times by the Eagles.

The Chiefs have lost another offensive lineman

The Chiefs selected Josh Simmons in the first round with the 32nd overall pick. He’s a talented offensive tackle who played at Ohio State after starting his college career at San Diego State. He stands out for his size, strength, and mobility-key traits for protecting Patrick Mahomes.

Simmons suffered a kneecap injury that raised concerns during the draft process, but the Chiefs trusted in his recovery and selected him in the first round. He has the potential to become a starter, especially if he sharpens his pass protection technique.

Despite this addition, the Chiefs have lost tackle D.J. Humphries in free agency, as he will sign with the 49ers, according to an announcement from his agency, AMDG Sports.

Humphries signed with the Chiefs late last season after recovering from a torn ACL suffered at the end of the 2023 season. The Chiefs expected him to take over the left tackle role, but in his first game-Week 14-he injured his hamstring.