Chiefs have no reason left to keep starting Jawaan Taylor

Jawaan Taylor has been flagged seven times in three games, which leads the NFL. He is currently on pace for 45 penalties this season, which would be a record-setting number. He led the league in penalties in 2023 with 20 and was second last year with 16. There is literally no reason to think or believe that Jawaan Taylor is going to stop getting penalized. In fact, you could argue the issue is getting worse, not better.

Yet the coaching staff stands at the podium every week vowing that Taylor knows he has to clean up his game, while also giving him a vote of confidence about his play when he's not penalized. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on Jawaan Taylor: "When he doesn't have the penalties, his percentages have been good. You can argue one of the better tackles in the league in pass protection."

Is there a reason Jaylon Moore isn't playing yet in place of Jawaan Taylor?

While that sounds great, that's like saying you know a good barber who gives a good haircut half of the time. The situation with Jawaan Taylor is untenable if it continues the way it is—especially when the Chiefs have an answer sitting on the bench.

The Chiefs can't cut Jawaan Taylor's $20 million cap hit fast enough in 2026. It's all but a foregone conclusion that he will not be on the roster that year. The Chiefs wisely invested $21 million guaranteed in Jaylon Moore this offseason. Anybody arguing otherwise is using hindsight. The Chiefs had no idea what the draft board would look like at pick 31 when they signed Moore in March. They also had no idea that Josh Simmons would be healthy enough to start the season. Part of fixing the tackle position was also adding depth beyond Wanya Morris, so the Chiefs don't end up in the same spot they did in Super Bowl LV, totally depleted of offensive line depth.

With Josh Simmons looking like the answer at left tackle, the coaching staff used a heavy rotation at right tackle all training camp and preseason. This rotation was largely due to Taylor recovering from offseason knee surgery. However, it also seemed like a way to push Taylor, who hasn't lived up to his contract. Instead, it appears that was mostly health-related as Jawaan Taylor continues to get a free pass on the penalties. Are the Chiefs terrified to put Jaylon Moore on the field? If Taylor is hurting the team so much with penalties and his play (62nd in PFF grade), what does this say about Jaylon Moore?

We've seen the coaching staff glue players to the bench after fumbling issues, such as LeSean McCoy and, more recently, Carson Steele. You could argue that Taylor's penalties have hurt the team more than those fumbles and have gone on for far longer. As noted above, in a very small sample size (nine snaps) of actual left tackle play (three snaps came in victory formation), Moore grades out as a top-five tackle according to PFF. Moore isn't a top-five tackle—the Chiefs likely don't believe that either—but there's at least some track record to say he doesn't stink. If he can line up onside and move when the ball is snapped, there's reason to believe he can actually be an upgrade along the offensive line.

There's no reason to wait to play Jaylon Moore. Taylor is already a sunk cost. Since he will be released, there is no comp pick coming for the Chiefs to continue playing Taylor. The team would be foolish to move on from Moore next year, cap-wise, so he's going to be on the roster regardless and appears to be the very obvious answer at right tackle. Get him in the games now so he can start building rapport with Trey Smith. Let Mahomes get used to him on the other side and how deep his pass sets are.

Additionally, Moore came from a scheme in San Francisco that excelled at running the ball; he might be an upgrade in the run game, too. A very depleted Ravens defense would be a great place to make the change as well.

Benching Jawaan Taylor doesn't mean he's off the team. If something happens to Moore or Simmons, he can be plugged back into the lineup. It does send a message to the team, though: it doesn't matter how much money you make—we will hold you accountable. This Chiefs team has no margin for error right now, and Jawaan Taylor is a walking error on the field. There's no reason for this to continue the way it is.