The Kansas City Chiefs got on the board on the first day of the legal tampering period with a splash move on the offensive line.
The Chiefs are set to sign Jaguars OT Jawaan Taylor when free agency opens. While Taylor has been a budding star at right tackle for Jacksonville since entering the NFL, there seems to be some indication that Kansas City could play him at left tackle. It’s a spot that he’s played sparingly in his NFL career and only had a few starts at during his college career at the University of Florida.
Our friends at Touchdown Wire are providing early grades for every move made in free agency. Doug Farrar gave the Chiefs’ signing of Taylor a “B” grade, but almost entirely due to the fact that there is no telling how a switch to the left side will go for him.
Here’s a look at some of what Farrar had to say about the move:
The interesting thing about this move is that Taylor, who allowed five sacks, one quarterback hit, and 15 quarterback hurries in 775 pass-blocking snaps last season, was almost exclusively a right tackle. All indications are that Taylor will flip to the left side, which he hasn’t really done throughout his four years in the NFL. Taylor played a handful of snaps on the left side of the offensive line last season, but they were almost entirely situational.
No matter how talented an offensive tackle may be (and Taylor is a very good player), moving from right to left or vice versa is a transition that takes time. That’s the only hesitation on this deal, and given the success Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and offensive line coach Andy Heck have had overall, we’ll take the positive over here. It’s just a bit of a wonderment in the short term, and that’s a lot of money for a transitional move.
It feels like this move might be more of an incomplete grade for Kansas City right now. In this writer’s humble opinion, there are three courses of action the team can take that would have an impact on that final grade. The first is to play Taylor at right tackle, where he’s played his entire NFL career, and to draft a rookie left tackle as reports have indicated they’d be comfortable doing. The second option is to start Taylor at left tackle and have Lucas Niang and a rookie battle it out on the right side of the offensive line for the starting right tackle gig. The final option is to continue exploring your options at both left and right tackle. Orlando Brown Jr. is shockingly still on the market as of 2:30 p.m. ET on Monday. Maybe they’re still interested in making a trade? Right now, the big picture is still incomplete.
What grade would you give the move to sign Taylor, Chiefs Kingdom? Be sure to let us know on Facebook and Twitter.
