Jaylon Moore is taking the unforeseen competition in stride.
Coming into the Kansas City Chiefs' offseason, Moore was penciled in as the starting right tackle after the team decided to release Jawaan Taylor early in the spring for the sake of salary cap relief. Taylor was the team's long-term starter for three seasons, but consistent penalty concerns and a whopping $20 million-plus cap hit made it clear that the Chiefs were going to go with someone new outside.
From the beginning, it looked like Moore would be the new man up front. After all, the Chiefs already envisioned him as a potential starter when they signed him to a two-year deal worth up to $30 million in '25—albeit on the left side. One month after signing Moore, however, the Chiefs found themselves with a golden opportunity to draft Ohio State's Josh Simmons at the bottom of the first round, which changed everything for Moore's job description.
With Simmons entrenched on the left side, Moore looked like a natural fit to switch to the right, but an unexpected development happened when the Chiefs asked Indiana tackle Kahlil Benson to try out for the team at rookie minicamp. Suddenly, a new competitor was turning heads. Not only did Benson earn a contract from that weekend, but he went on to generate considerable buzz in mandatory camp.
Jaylon Moore opened up to Chiefs' reporters about the unexpected training camp battle at right tackle.
Two weeks into Chiefs' training camp, Benson was receiving the lion's share of starting reps outside in the very spot that looked reserved for Moore. Even as the competition has heated up, however, Moore said he's taking it all in stride after speaking to reporters from Tuesday's practice in St. Joseph.
"Honestly, we're all pushing each other to get better every single day, regardless of what the depth chart looks like or how everything shakes out," said Moore. "I mean, it's good for me, good for him as well. We're all pushing each other in that room."
Moore was tucked behind a future Hall of Famer for the first four years of his career in San Francisco while he served as the understudy for Trent Williams. Coming to K.C. gave him a chance to claim a left tackle spot of his own, but Simmons' availability changed that. Focused on the right side, Moore isn't dwelling any frustration and just sounds glad to put in the work.
"Honestly, for me, throughout my career, I've been back and forth, but it's good for me to get reps on either side, because, I mean, at any point, anything can happen and it's good to make sure that every one of our guys are able to play multiple different positions and be able to play wherever their number is called."
For the last couple of days, Moore has gotten first-team reps at right tackle as starting right guard Trey Smith recovers from a hip injury. Benson has slid inside in Smith's spot, with Moore taking over outside.
"It's been really good for the both of us," said Moore when asked about working next to Benson in that configuration. "Obviously, him transitioning to that during this camp, he's been working in and out of both spots. It's been good for me as well just being able to get camaraderie, being able to play with whoever, being able to communicate next to whoever, being able to get the job done."
Smith's injury isn't considered serious, so that means that, at some point, both Moore and Benson will get back to competing for the same role. For now, they're building chemistry together. Even in a contract year, Moore sounds like he's just ready to help the Chiefs rebound, no matter what it means for his personal assignment.
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