Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor drops a bombshell about 2024 knee injury, which also further explains a key offseason move from Kansas City
Kansas City Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor played 15 games last season with a partially torn meniscus.
Kansas City Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor has been dealing with a knee injury this offseason, beginning training camp on the Active/PUP list. The details surrounding that knee injury have been largely unknown until now, except that it occurred last season and he underwent an offseason procedure on the knee. Speaking to media members after training camp practice on Sunday, Taylor revealed the stunning details about what he played through during the 2024 NFL season.
“It was pretty challenging, man,” Taylor said of the knee injury in 2024. “I took a hit to the knee in Week 5, and then I played the whole season pretty much with that nagging knee injury. You know, I was getting my knee drained every week, trying to prepare for the games, and just do what I can to be my best for the team every week. So, just fighting through every game.”
With the injury occurring in Week 5, that means Taylor played 15 games last season (combined regular season & postseason) with this knee injury. As for the specifics of the injury, Taylor said that once he got his MRI at the end of the season, he had “a lot of wear and tear on my knee, just like wear and tear behind the kneecap, partially torn meniscus, wear and tear on my patella.”
He had a meniscus injury in college in the same knee, but described this specific injury as the toughest of his career. He never once thought about getting surgery midseason, not only because it’d put the team in a bad spot at an already dire position, but he’d dealt with playing through a similar injury before in college.
“I did the same thing in college,” Taylor explained. “I tore it (meniscus) in college, played the whole season on it, and got the surgery after the season. So I knew I could do it again. I’m a little older now, but I was like, ‘I can do it.’ So I did it.”
Taylor did feel the injury impacted his play last season, but at the end of the day, he felt he was doing what was best for the team to help them achieve their ultimate goal. And his sacrifice did contribute to them having a chance to do that.
“I’ll do anything to help my team win,” he said. “So if it’s just sacrificing my body, sacrifice my knee, whatever it is to go out there and help the team win, I’m going team win. I’m willing to do that. So, you know, I knew I had to get surgery at the end of the year, but just kept fighting every week just to be my best.”
Taylor revealed he had two offseason procedures on his knee and that he feels like he’s in a better place now after recently returning to training camp practices from the Active/PUP list.
“I had a knee scope back in March,” Taylor said. “Then I went on to Panama has a stem cell injection in May, so just been treating it, trying to get my knee back healthy for the season.”
These new details surrounding Taylor’s injury and recovery serve as another reminder that we don’t ever truly know what a given player is battling through to stay on the field. It also gives new meaning to an offseason move that has been criticized in Kansas City.
Jaylon Moore’s contract makes even more sense for the Chiefs after Jawaan Taylor’s injury update
People have criticized the Chiefs for paying former 49ers backup Jaylon Moore $15 million APY over the next two years, given the possibility that he may not be a starter along the offensive line. He’s been rotating between left guard repetitions and right tackle repetitions with the first-team offense at training camp, with Josh Simmons and Jawaan Taylor both starting at the bookend tackle positions. Never mind the fact that the Chiefs didn’t know if they’d be able to draft a player like Simmons, they also didn’t know how Taylor was going to recover from offseason surgery on his knee. Moore is the ultimate insurance policy, ensuring the Chiefs aren’t in a dire situation where they need a player like Taylor to battle through what was practically a season-long knee injury for a fighting chance at a Super Bowl berth.
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