The Kansas City Chiefs had to be largely pleased with the performance of their offensive line in the season opener. Most of all, the first career start for left tackle Josh Simmons was a positive. There was one low spot for Kansas City's blocking unit, however: Jawaan Taylor struggled with multiple penalties and blocking consistency.
Stop us if you’ve heard that before. Taylor did not necessarily turn in the worst outing of his career, though the Chiefs were sapped of any momentum due to some of the mistakes he made. It feels like the team could inch closer and closer to replacing him in the lineup throughout this season.
But there is a complicating factor surrounding Taylor. The offense has still been just below the elite tier when he’s been playing the last few seasons. Kansas City wants to get back to that elite offensive status, nonetheless. Could that lead to Jaylon Moore getting a shot at right tackle instead?
Another complicating factor is the contract and salary for Jawaan Taylor. He is sitting just under $20 million in base salary this season. Plus, Taylor's cap hit in 2025 sits at $27.391 million. Both of those figures are courtesy of Spotrac.
You have Jaylon Moore, who was one of the bigger free-agent additions for the Chiefs this offseason—at least in terms of contract value. The two-year deal that Moore signed guarantees him $21.24 million throughout the life of the contract, via Spotrac. This year's cap hit ($11.195 million) is much lower than next year's cap hit ($18.745 million) for Moore.
Andy Reid has never shied away from just throwing out the best five that he can for his offensive line combination. Would it really be all that shocking if Moore were to replace Taylor in the starting lineup soon? It may not happen immediately after the season-opening performance from Taylor. Still, he has been pegged as a possible cap casualty next offseason. That could lead to an even greater emphasis on giving Moore an early chance as a result.
Moore was polished while filling in on the San Francisco 49ers. His last two years in San Francisco yielded his two best offensive grades, per Pro Football Focus. In 259 snaps at left tackle last season, Moore allowed just one sack and two hits for the 49ers.
The Chiefs have Jaylon Moore at the ready and they should not hesitate to make a move at right tackle.
The short leash on Taylor may not be as prevalent right now as some Chiefs fans may be hoping for. When it comes to his spot at right tackle, though, this Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles could dictate plenty for his—or Moore's—chances going forward.
If you remember last year in Week 2, Reid removed Kingsley Suamataia from the starting lineup in the latter stages against the Cincinnati Bengals. Granted, Suamataia was a rookie in that spot. Taylor is not in that same boat. But if you continuously see one spot on the offensive line not playing to the level of the rest, why bother running with the same course of action?
Suamataia mainly lost confidence and struggled to maintain any blocking technique. In this situation, Taylor has been constantly struggling with staying disciplined. His penalties have hurt the Chiefs more times than one could imagine. On the other hand, Taylor has walked a dangerous line with his splits when setting up at the line of scrimmage.
Jaylon Moore is not going to be Lane Johnson on the right side if he gets inserted. Yet time is becoming tricky in terms of how long you can ride with Jawaan Taylor. If he is truly not in Kansas City's plans next season, then why should the Chiefs keep giving him multiple chances? The short leash has to be necessary if K.C. wants its offense to get to where it wants to go.