Kansas City Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor’s penalty issues are proving to outweigh the positives of his play early in the 2025 NFL season

The Kansas City Chiefs have a decision to make with RT Jawaan Taylor after the first three weeks of the season.

Charles Goldman — NFL Managing Editor
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The Kansas City Chiefs have figured out the left tackle position, with rookie Josh Simmons standing out as one of the league’s best through the first three weeks of the 2025 NFL season. However, Simmons’ success has shone a spotlight on a growing problem on the opposite side of the offensive line.

Through the 1-2 start to the 2025 NFL season, Jawaan Taylor has been criticized for his continued penalty problem. He had four penalties alone in the Week 1 matchup against the Chargers in Brazil. Chiefs OC Matt Nagy even addressed Taylor’s penalty issue with media members ahead of the Week 2 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.

“Yeah, well, speaking to the obvious, the penalties can’t happen,” Nagy said. “And so, that’s where we’re at. We’ve made it loud and clear. Jawaan (Taylor) knows that. He understands it. It’s something that, especially in a moment like that, in that game, when things are a little bit off kilter now with the personnel, and you start to move the ball, you have a couple of positive plays, and then boom, a penalty or a second penalty. So, three penalties and a hold, not good enough. He knows that. There’s no one hiding from it, he’s not hiding from it. He understands what’s expected, and I think he’s ready for that challenge here as we go.”

Taylor has since committed three penalties, which is not quite as rampant as his Week 1 performance. Still, they’re notable and coming at inopportune times for an offense that has no margin for error, missing both Xavier Worthy and Rashee Rice.

Jawaan Taylor Contract Details

  • Term: Four years (2023-2026)
  • Total Value: $80 million
  • Guaranteed Money: $60 million
  • Signing Bonus: $18.9 million

Jawaan Taylor’s penalties are a massive, drive-killing problem for the Chiefs

Taylor enters Week 4 tied with Bears OL Darnell Wright for the league lead in penalties through three weeks with six penalties. He leads the league with seven total flags, including one offsetting penalty. His three pre-snap penalties (2x false start and 1x illegal formation) are also tied for the league lead. His four offensive holding penalties are double that of any other player in the league has to this point in the season. Three of his seven penalties have come on third down, making a manageable down-and-distance that much worse. Three more have come on first-and-10, starting a fresh set of downs off on the wrong foot.

This isn’t anything new for Taylor, who led the league in penalties in 2023 and was in the top three in penalties in 2024. To put it all into context, since Taylor joined the Chiefs in 2023, he’s amassed 42 penalties. That’s a dozen more penalties than anyone else in the league during that span.

Part of the issue is that the redeeming qualities of Taylor’s play are no longer so redeeming. He’s currently graded 97th out of 101 NFL offensive tackles as a run-blocker, according to Pro Football Focus. Even in pass blocking, he’s not nearly as dominant as he once was, allowing five pressures through the first three weeks of the 2025 NFL season. His pass-blocking grade at PFF ranks 50th in the league.

It’s no longer a matter of the league picking on Taylor for aligning too deep in the backfield, which was a very real thing in the 2023 NFL season. Yes, the Chiefs have faced three of the best defensive fronts they’ll face all season in this early stretch of 2025, but there’s more at work here to question.

It’s fair to wonder if Taylor is in good health. Playing through a knee injury last season was admirable, given the team’s situation at the offensive tackle position. He should be praised for that. Taylor, of course, remains on the injury report with ankle and knee problems.

The Chiefs actually have a solid backup option at swing tackle in Jaylon Moore, who could fill in and maybe give No. 74 a breather at the very least. Andy Reid has benched Taylor before for the penalty problems, if only briefly. Knowing that Taylor has a homecoming against the Jacksonville Jaguars coming up, perhaps sitting him for Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium would send a positive message to get him healthy and in the right frame of mind for the rest of the 2025 season.

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