While the Kansas City Chiefs are getting started with mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, it's a great time to evaluate some of the offseason signings and some of the early impacts that've already been made.
Following the news that first-round left tackle Josh Simmons is expected to start, provided he's healthy, the offensive line appears set aside from the ongoing battle at left guard between Kingsley Suamataia and Mike Caliendo.
Given Jawaan Taylor's salary, he'll almost certainly be the starter at right tackle. With Simmons ahead on the left side, that means that offseason signing Jaylon Moore is already a bit of a disappointment. He joined on a two-year, $30 million contract, yet that's a big overpay if he's only going to serve as a depth piece.
Chiefs agree to 2-year, $30M deal with OT Jaylon Moore. (via @MikeGarafolo) pic.twitter.com/OQKXh7cxLg
— NFL (@NFL) March 10, 2025
New Chiefs Signing LT Jaylon Moore Already Letting Kansas City Down
Moore currently holds the sixth-largest cap hit on the roster in 2025, making more money than guys like All-Pro center Creed Humphrey and almost double what standout veteran linebacker Nick Bolton will bring in.
Considering that outsized salary, signing Moore already feels like a mistake. It's wise to have backup options, especially coming off a year that saw Kansas City start four different left tackles. That said, an average of $15 million per year for someone who won't even start is a poor use of the cap.
It seems like the Chiefs didn't know they'd have an opportunity to draft Simmons. Moore was signed prior to the 2025 NFL Draft and if Kansas City knew they'd get Simmons, it feels unlikely they wouldn't pursued Moore in free agency.
To be clear, Moore has done nothing wrong at this point. He ranked 25th out of 140 qualified tackles at Pro Football Focus, so perhaps there's room for growth. We'll see how he looks at mandatory minicamp and maybe he has a chance to push Taylor on the right side, though the organization would've been better off giving Joe Thuney a new contract instead of signing Moore.
Hindsight is always 20/20, of course. The Chiefs needed to fix the offensive line but by choosing Moore over Thuney, the unit may actually take a step back in 2025.