It's quite possible the Kansas City Chiefs feel just fine about the left tackle position. Perhaps the front office of scouts and execs have done their homework and feel entirely justified by the signing of free agent Jaylon Moore to a two-year deal back in March.
It's also possible that the team isn't sold at all.
The only thing that's clear at this point is that the Chiefs knew there was work to be done at left tackle. The team turned to four different starters in the 2024 campaign and ended the year by sliding their All-Pro left guard outside in order to establish some reliable floor for a historic run at a three-peat. We all know how that ended.
Jaylon Moore is likely waiting to watch the draft to see just how easy he can breathe in his first year in KC.
Ronnie Stanley rumors circulated early in the offseason as the Chiefs were reportedly interested in signing away the longtime Baltimore Ravens starter. However it was all likely leaked for leverage after seeing Stanley spurn more money for the chance to stay at home. The Chiefs were left at the alter.
Moore, then, became the follow-up move, a Plan B in free agency. Moore was the backup to Trent Williams in San Francisco (another veteran left tackle the Chiefs once pursued unsuccessfully in free agency) and looked solid in a handful of late-season starts for the 49ers. But the small sample size doesn't engender confidence for some fans, and it's hard to know the level of belief in Moore from the team's front office.
Money talks, and in this instance, even that's hard to read. Moore got a two-year deal that some might consider steep while others see it as an understandable deal. Moore got $21 million guaranteed with the possibility of making as much as $30M. That short contract length could be reticence on the Chiefs' part, but it might also point to Moore's reps pushing him to re-enter the market in his prime after finally earning a starting spot in K.C.
If the Chiefs have landed even an adequate starting left tackle in Moore, a $15M average annual value is a solid buy given the market just rewarded Dan Moore with $20M for four seasons (Titans). And if Moore stinks, the Chiefs can punt after a single season with $10M in dead cap space. That's not horrible if it's an experiment they feel good about.
Then again, Chiefs Kingdom will see just how positive Brett Veach and company feel about handing Moore the role by the way they behave in the 2025 NFL Draft. That's not to say that any tackle selection should cast a shadow over Moore's potential, but the level of investment they make in a tackle will at least offer some further perspective on their confidence index.
The Chiefs could use a tackle either way given that Moore and Jawaan Taylor are both on contracts that end in 2026 (and both might end up leaving before then if the play doesn't match the pay). But it will be interesting to see if Veach believes he can skip over the best tackles in K.C.'s range for other positions after the acquisition of Moore.