With legal tampering set to begin on March 9, the Kansas City Chiefs are not wasting any time in creating more cap space for the free agent frenzy. On Monday morning, Kansas City finally decided to cut ties with veteran right tackle Jawaan Taylor after three seasons.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Chiefs "informed" the veteran right tackle that he’ll "be released before the start of the new league year, barring a trade." Taylor’s impending release will net Kansas City $20 million in cap savings.
Taylor’s tenure in Kansas City was marred by inconsistent play and penalties. He racked up 40 penalties, including 10 this past season. With the former second-round pick on his way out the door, this appears to be good news for veteran Jaylon Moore, who is entering the final year of his deal and could step into the starting role. However, it's not that simple for Moore.
Jaylon Moore’s Chiefs Future Still Uncertain Following Jawaan Taylor’s Exit
The 28-year-old Moore was signed to a two-year, $30 million contract last offseason to be the starting left tackle in 2025. However, that plan hit a roadblock, as Kansas City also drafted Josh Simmons in the first round.
Simmons started in eight games as a rookie to protect Patrick Mahomes ' blindside, while Moore appeared in 15 games, but only made six starts in place of Simmons, who missed time for an undisclosed family matter.
According to Pro Football Focus, the veteran offensive lineman posted a 57.1 pass block and 62.9 run blocking grades, which aren’t spectacular. He gave up three sacks and 27 pressures, which isn’t ideal across 427 snaps. But he wasn’t penalized either, which is a positive, as he played at left (283) and right tackle (132) in 2025.Â
On the surface, the Chiefs should be okay with Moore if they went that route. But Kansas City could entertain signing a veteran free agent at right tackle for competition, or keep it in-house and give some reps to Esa Pole.
Pole predominantly played at left tackle for Kansas City in 2025 and showed some promise as an undrafted free agent. His PFF grades weren’t out of this world (60.9 pass block and 56.8 run block), but he only gave up one sack and 15 pressures across 275 snaps. Pole was penalized three times as well, but there’s potentially more to unearth, and he could have a higher upside than Moore.
Lastly, if Kansas City doesn’t want to move Pole to right tackle, they could entertain moving Simmons to right tackle, as he has some experience from his Ohio State days. It would free up the Chiefs to go after Rasheed Walker, who is the best FA tackle on the free agent market.
Given how expensive things could get for Walker, who has a calculated market value of a four-year, $81.1 million deal ($20.3 million AAV), per Spotrac, that could deter Kansas City, which has other needs, when free agency opens.
With all that being said, it seems like things are lining up for Moore to take over for Taylor, but it all depends on what general manager Brett Veach and head coach Andy Reid have in mind for the o-line.