The Kansas City Chiefs opened the 2025 season with a tough loss to the Los Angeles Chargers in São Paulo.. What made the defeat feel like a bigger stomach punch was just how many costly errors were made in the process.
Many of those mistakes were credited to right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who had four penalties—two false starts and two holding calls—in a 27–21 defeat. Following the game, Chiefs offensive coordinator Matt Nagy didn’t mince words when asked by team reporters about the miscues and Taylor's performance.
“Speaking to the obvious, the penalties, that can’t happen," said Nagy after Thursday's practice. "That’s where we’re at. We’ve made that loud and clear. Jawaan knows that and understands it."
The Chiefs offensive coordinator was clear in his comments on Thursday.
Nagy specifically highlighted the unfortunate timing of Taylor's penalties at a critical juncture early in the game after Xavier Worthy left the game with a shoulder injury. The loss of the team's top playmaker left the entire unit reeling for a spell.
“It’s something that, especially in a moment like that in that game where things are a little bit off-kilter now with the personnel and you start to move the ball, you have a couple of positive plays and then, boom, a penalty," he said.
“Three penalties and a hold, not good enough. He knows that. No one’s hiding from it. He’s not hiding from it. He understands what’s expected, and I think he’s ready for that challenge.”
Taylor’s rough opener wasn’t an isolated incident. Since signing his four-year, $80 million deal in the spring of 2023, the 27-year-old has been one of the NFL’s most penalized linemen. That first season in Kansas City, Taylor led the NFL with 20 accepted penalties, which cost the team 140 yards.
In 2024, Taylor lowered that total to 16, but that still placed him among the league leaders in overall penalties. Then came Week 1 with four already to his name after a single game.
What makes the drive-killing penalties sting even more is that they're coming from such a cost-bearing player. Taylor carries a 2025 cap hit of roughly $27.4 million, nearly 10 percent of the Chiefs’ entire salary cap. Chiefs general manager Brett Veach signed Taylor to anchor the right side through his prime, but instead, the errors have created another quandary on the offensive line.
If Nagy and company cannot trust Taylor to resolve the problem, they have options even with a limited cap. While they won't be able to move him until after the 2025 season at the earliest, the Chiefs also invested in former San Francisco 49ers tackle Jaylon Moore to provide another potential starting option at the position. With Josh Simmons locked in on the left side, Moore could spell Taylor on the right.
The Chiefs don’t need their right tackle to be perfect going forward, and the team (and fans) will be okay if there's just the occasional slip. Even the best linemen will deal with the occasional penalty. But when the issue is this heightened, Nagy said it best: "That can't happen." The Chiefs have now made that clear in the public sphere.