NFL training camps can get feisty, and things boiled over at the Kansas City Chiefs’ training camp with two rookies sparking a melee. The brawl intensified to the point that head coach Andy Reid had to step in to break up the fight.
Rookie Josh Simmons and Ashton Gillotte Exchange Punches
KCTV5’s Mark Polouse managed to capture the exchange. The brawl started with a fairly innocuous play: Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes handing the ball off for a running play. The ball carrier was then quickly tackled, but what happened when the play was over sparked tensions.
Offensive tackle Josh Simmons, the Chiefs’ first-round pick from the 2025 NFL draft, kept pushing pass rusher Ashton Gillotte, seemingly unaware that the play had been over, which upset Gillotte, who pushed Simmons in retaliation. The latter then reacted by punching Gillotte with a quickfire right hand, and Gillotte sought payback with a left hook that connected.
The two players then got tangled up in a tussle, with each player grabbing the other player’s helmet. Simmons had his helmet removed before the rest of the players stepped in to break up the melee. The other players managed to calm Simmons and Gillotte down.
🚨TRAINING CAMP FIGHT🚨
Justin Simmons throws a punch at Ashton Gillottee.
Andy Reid quickly on scene to break things up. #ChiefsKingdom @KCTV5 pic.twitter.com/yr9SO9553W
— Mark Poulose (@MarkPoulose) July 29, 2025
Chiefs’ head coach Reid stepped in during the closing seconds of the footage and appeared to give a few words of advice to Simmons.
Both players appeared unscathed, and the team then resumed its drills. The Chiefs’ training camp runs till August 13 at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.
High Hopes for Josh Simmons in Chiefs’ Offense
The Chiefs have high hopes for Simmons after drafting him with the 32nd overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft. Simmons is expected to help stabilize an offensive line that gave up six sacks against the Philadelphia Eagles in last year’s Super Bowl. The Chiefs made a sizeable investment in the offensive line in the offseason, including spending their top pick on Simmons.
The former Ohio State Buckeye and 2025 college football national champion is competing with free agent signing Jaylon Moore for the coveted left tackle spot to protect Mahomes’ blindside.
Meanwhile, Ashton Gillotte is a third-round pick from Louisville. Gillotte started 51 games for the Cardinals and had 26.5 sacks with 41 tackles in college. He currently sits behind George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu, Mike Danna, and Felix Anudike-Uzomah on the Chiefs’ defensive end depth chart. Gillotte will need a strong training camp outing to break into the rotation.
