The Kansas City Chiefs have had offensive line ticked off as a priority for improvement ever since it got decimated by the Philadelphia Eagles‘ front seven in Super Bowl LIX.
With 2024 second round pick Kingsley Suamataia taking over from the traded Joe Thuney at guard as the now presumptive starter, the final position on the line without clarity is at left tackle, where both free agent acquisition, Jaylon Moore, and first round rookie, Josh Simmons could end up battling it out for the final spot.
Chiefs Unsure As To Final Tackle Pairing Ahead Of Week 1
However, according to Sports Illustrated, the competition is not just at left tackle, but at both tackle positions. Meaning right tackle, Jawaan Taylor‘s job could be at risk if his performances do not meet the team’s standard – despite the former Jaguar having been a continual starter on the Chiefs’ offensive line for the past two seasons.
“In April, Moore and Jawaan Taylor were the teamâs presumptive tackles” Breer wrote on Wednesday, “… [But] given the issues the Chiefs had at the position last year, which necessitated Joe Thuney moving outside from guard, Kansas City is going to have a real competition at camp. Moore and Taylor might get the first snaps at those spots. But if Simmons proves to be one of the two best answers at the position, Andy Reid, Matt Nagy and Andy Heck wonât hesitate to put him out there.
Thereâs too much on the line this year, and every year they have Patrick Mahomes under center, not to approach it that way. So, again, Taylor, Moore and Simmons will go into camp as the teamâs top options, and two of the three will come out as starters.”
Moore, Simmons And Taylor Battling It Out For Two Spots
It has never seemed automatic that Taylor would have his spot grandfathered in for a third straight year, particularly given another sub-par season in which he ranked as the 82nd out of 140 tackles, per Pro Football Focus.
But this illumination of a tied, three-horse race is certainly intriguing news to Chiefs fans who were not quite sure how both the signing of Jaylon Moore and the drafting of Josh Simmons would fit in together.
Over what was admittedly a smaller sample size than Taylor, Moore excelled in 2024, garnering a 74.9 PFF grade, good for 25th out of the aforementioned 140 tackles last year, so it stands to reason that he could end up as a preferable option to the underwhelming Taylor, who is in the third year of a 4 year, $80 million deal signed in 2023.
Perhaps much of Simmons’ playing equity will rest on the extent of his recovery from a knee injury suffered in 2024, without which the former Ohio State standout could have even been as high as a top-10 draft pick.
And whilst he most recently featured at left tackle in college, Simmons does have 13 collegiate starts at right tackle, making a possible transition back to the quarterback’s open side a distinct possibility prior to the start of the regular season if he beats out Taylor in training camp.
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