Jawaan Taylor has a new team for the 2026 season, but he won't be practicing immediately when the Atlanta Falcons open camp.
The Falcons did not disclose what is keeping Taylor out specifically. Team reporter Tori McElhaney only explained that Taylor was among four players (with corner Billy Bowman Jr. and linebackers DeAngelo Malone and Troy Andersen) who were being placed on the team's Physically Unable to Play list. Only Bowman's ruptured Achilles was confirmed as a reason.
For Kansas City Chiefs fans, Taylor's inability to practice is a reminder of last season's collapse. Not only did the team lose 11 games during the regular season, but several players were also lost to injury. Taylor's injuries were a big part of the late-season collapse. He suffered a right ankle injury in Week 9 against the Buffalo Bills and was sidelined for good with a triceps injury against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13. The Chiefs' thin tackle depth was exposed the rest of the way.
The Falcons might be leaning on a former Chiefs tackle to cover for another former Chiefs tackle.
The designation doesn't mean Taylor's season is in jeopardy. Players on active/PUP still count against the 90-man roster and can be cleared at any point in camp. But if Taylor remains on the list by late August, when roster cuts are due, the Falcons can shift him to reserve/PUP. That carries a minimum four-game absence to open the season, but it would allow him to still return with plenty of runway to spare.
The Falcons signed Taylor to a one-year deal worth up to $5 million shortly after losing starting right tackle Kaleb McGary in early April. McGary surprised everyone with his decision to retire after seven seasons in the NFL, which left the Falcons shorthanded up front after the first wave of free agency was already dying out.
Interestingly, a former Chiefs teammate might be helping Atlanta fill the void. The Falcons traded for veteran tackle Wanya Morris in mid-June in order to shore up the team's tackle depth. The Chiefs agreed on a late-round pick swap in the 2027 NFL Draft after rookie minicamp unearthed even more competition on the depth chart, including Esa Pole and undrafted free agent Kahlil Benson.
Taylor first joined the Chiefs as a big-ticket free agent on a four-year deal in 2023 after four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars. After three of those years, the Chiefs decided to move on after dealing with consistent penalty concerns. In general, however, Taylor still profiles as a solid starter, especially in pass protection, who has always been reliable before his late-season injuries in 2025.
With 120 career starts to his credit, Taylor needs less preseason work than most players on the Falcons roster. However, a new team brings new challenges, and the injury complicates things. Taylor can only hope he's able to remove the PUP designation sooner rather than later and get in the requisite work to bounce back with his third NFL team.
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