Chiefs OT Jawaan Taylor opens up about his position for 2023
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a bit of drama surrounding a situation with their offensive line.When the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to the huge contract, we assumed he would be the left tackle of the future. That was what the contract would tell you, what the Chiefs unintentionally told you, and what Taylor said […]
The Kansas City Chiefs have had a bit of drama surrounding a situation with their offensive line.
When the Chiefs signed Jawaan Taylor to the huge contract, we assumed he would be the left tackle of the future. That was what the contract would tell you, what the Chiefs unintentionally told you, and what Taylor said in his introductory presser.
Remember him saying playing the left side was "just a flip of the hips" because it isn't that simple. Of course, they signed left tackle Donovan Smith, and now we are stuck and still determining what will happen.
But on Thursday, during the Chiefs' media availability, we finally heard Taylor talk a little more about the situation – providing a little more clarity.
"I'm just here to help the team win, man," Taylor told the media when asked what side he intends to play on. "Wherever the team needs me. If they need me on the left, I'll play the left; if they need me on the right, I'll play the right. So, you know, I feel like I'm athletic enough to do either one, so wherever the team needs me, I'm there."
Maybe the Chiefs are just going through the motions and are seeing which player will be better at what position. See, because it is the Chiefs, there was always this thought that maybe, they are being difficult because they have a trick up their sleeve.
Nope, I'm starting to see that they don't know what will happen – who will play the left side and who will play the right. But I think they are leaning towards Taylor playing the right and Smith playing the left – both doing what they have done their entire NFL careers.
Now, why did they pay Taylor top left tackle money? I don't really know. However, I'm starting to see they like both of the guys they have a lot, which is always good.
This doesn't mean Taylor is excluded from playing on the left side. If something were to happen, he could move over.
"Oh, yeah, for sure. Definitely," Taylor said. "Especially learning the offense, now that I learned the system."
Sure, it's confusing, but we are getting more clarity. When training camp rolls around, and we see practice reps, where guys are lining up, including the backups, it will make a lot more sense. This team just won the Super Bowl and has won another one in the last four years – I'm sure they know what they are doing.
