Top 5 Chiefs With Most to Prove in 2024
By Joe Summers
2. Jawaan Taylor - RT
Kansas City's prized acquisition in the 2023 offseason gave mixed returns in his first season. Jawaan Taylor committed a league-leading 20 penalties, struggling with false starts and holds far too often.
He improved as the year went on, though it wasn't the kind of performance the Chiefs hoped for when they handed Taylor a four-year, $80 million contract. Kansas City doesn't have a realistic path to moving on until after the 2025 season, though Taylor is still one of the team's question marks entering training camp.
A number of key Chiefs are entering the final year of their respective contracts. Taylor's contract makes it difficult, if not impossible, to keep everyone, so fans could turn on him quickly if the penalties don't subside.
after watching all the snaps Jawaan Taylor had against Aidan Hutchinson in true one-on-ones on pass plays without chip help. I'm with Theo. Taylor more than held his own.
— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) September 8, 2023
here's the first chunk of those dropbacks. https://t.co/tIwNMzN1ld pic.twitter.com/YmNQOfokCm
When he wasn't committing penalties, Taylor was impressive. That's obviously a large caveat though, and he needs to clean up his false starts to avoid putting the offense in poor positions. If he trims down those penalties, the Chiefs' offensive line could be downright dominant.
Considering the uncertainty at left tackle, Taylor's play becomes critical to stabilize the right side of the line. We know Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, and Trey Smith make up one of the best interior lines in the NFL. Improvement from Taylor could push this offense over the top.
Should Taylor struggle, expect Brett Veach to start preparing for his departure following 2025.