One of the few bright spots of the 2025 season for the Kansas City Chiefs was the play of the offensive line when healthy. It’s easy to forget, but the left side of the offensive line had questions before the season: would tackle Josh Simmons be healthy, let alone play well as a rookie? Would moving Kingsley Suamataia to left guard save his career?
Fortunately, the Chiefs got the best possible outcome from both Simmons and Suamataia. Simmons missed games due to personal reasons and a dislocated wrist,
but when he played, he immediately looked the part of a high-end starter. None of his injuries should linger into 2026.
Suamataia was one of the best stories of the season for Kansas City. After looking like a bust at left tackle, it was a gamble to have him replace All-Pro left guard Joe Thuney. However, Suamataia proved himself; his size and speed are elite for a guard, and he improved technically every week.
What makes Suamataia so exciting moving forward is his age: he recently turned 23. In college, Suamataia was a project with high-end traits, but his technique was nowhere close to proficient enough for the NFL. Now, two years and a position change later, it already looks more than promising, and one can only imagine his development by the end of his rookie deal. He has yet to reach his ceiling.
Combine that with center Creed Humphrey and right guard Trey Smith being locked-in pillars of the franchise, and 80% of the offensive line should be solidified for the future.
There’s only one spot the Chiefs do not have a long-term solution for: right tackle. Currently, Kansas City has some options on the roster in right tackle Jawaan Taylor or swing tackle Jaylon Moore, but neither is guaranteed to be around in 2026 due to their contract.
So let’s discuss where Taylor and Moore stand, some potential free agent options, and whether the Chiefs should consider drafting right tackle in the draft.
Current Roster Decisions
Taylor has been the starter for three seasons, and the penalties he has often earned have been frustrating and extremely preventable. It’s a huge deterrent for his value to the offense. That said, Taylor’s down-to-down play is better than most give him credit for; he is a league-average right tackle.
However, Taylor isn’t paid to be average. In 2026, his cap hit is $27 million. The team saves $20 million by cutting him. He’s paid to be a top right tackle; combine the fact that he is not with the penalties, and Taylor playing on that cap hit is unlikely.
The Chiefs and Taylor could explore a potential restructure that would involve a paycut with additional years added, but that feels unlikely. If Taylor hit free agency, he has a casae to be the second most desirable tackle on the market. I would bet Indianapolis Colts right tackle Braden Smith is the top tackle, but after that, it’s a competition between Los Angeles Rams right tackle Rob Havenstein and Cleveland Browns right tackle Jack Conklin. Both are 30 years of age or older with injury history. For all of Taylor’s warts, he is 28 years old and stays relatively healthy.
So Taylor should be able to get more in free agency than what the Chiefs would want to pay.
With Jaylon Moore, the Chiefs could save $7.94 million by cutting him, but Moore would have $10.75 on the books for 2026 still. So it’s likely Moore is kept on the roster. The organization has other avenues to free up cap space, and the team still needs depth and veteran experience at the position. Considering Suamataia and Simmons are on rookie deals, Kansas City can stomach the cost of insurance that Moore provides.
Free Agent Options
As alluded to earlier, the tackle market is bad. The Chiefs shouldn’t be in the Braden Smith market. Conklin and Havenstein are old and oft-injured. Even a younger player like Jonah Williams doesn’t make sense, as he’s played 15 games in two years. Maybe shoot for some depth, but free agency isn’t going to be how the Chiefs solve right tackle.
Draft Options
Let’s discuss the ninth overall pick. Should it be used on a right tackle? I don’t think so. It has nothing to do with the tackles that could be available; Utah right tackle Spencer Fano or Miami right tackle Francis Mauioga both are good players worthy of going top-10.
The problem with taking a right tackle at 9 is the idea of diminishing returns. The Chiefs already have a strong offensive line when healthy. How much better could their offensive line get?
It makes more sense to get a player that fits your needs — defensive line, wide receiver, running back, etc. — before investing even more into a position group that is well built.
That being said, the Chiefs don’t just have the ninth pick. The team picks high in every round. Kansas City could select right tackle with either of its two Day 2 picks. Here is a list of names I’d consider based on what I watched from the season.
- Gennings Dunker, Iowa
- Monroe Freeling, Georgia
- Caleb Tiernan, Northwestern
- Isaiah World, Oregon
- Brian Parker II, Duke
- Drew Shelton, Penn State
- Austin Barber, Florida
- Jude Bowry, Boston College
The Bottom Line
If I were making decisions, I would cut Taylor, keep Moore, skip on free agency, and draft one of these tackles at some point. Moore will be the veteran incumbent in training camp unless the rookie beats him out.
How would you address the right tackle position? Let us know in the comments below!
