Since a lack of offensive line depth is one of the reasons the Kansas City Chiefs were unable to close last season with a Super Bowl “three-peat,” the team made reinforcing the trenches a major offseason
priority.
The team’s approach was thorough — and costly.
The Chiefs started by signing former San Francisco 49ers
’ tackle Jaylon Moore to a two-year contract worth $30 million. Weeks later, they addressed the position again by taking Ohio State’s Josh Simmons in the first round of the NFL Draft.Early in the season, the double dip looked like an overcorrection. Simmons started the year at left tackle, initially rendering Moore an expensive bench option. But now that Simmons is likely to miss a third consecutive game while dealing with a family matter, acquiring both players appears to have been a shrewd decision.
After turning in a disappointing 0-2 start, Kansas City has now won four of its past five games with offense that now seems capable of scoring at will. Before Thursday’s practice, head coach Andy Reid noted the importance of the offensive line’s play in a unit that has scored at 30 points in three of its last four outings.
“I think every coach would say that if the line is doing good,” he said, “you’re willing to call certain things — or not call certain things.”
Lining up against top pass rushers, Moore has played well in the last two weeks. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes has noticed.
“He’s been ready,” said the two-time MVP. “[Moore] comes to work every single day. [He’s] a true pro. He comes to work with the mentality of being ready for that next snap. He’s done it all throughout training camp — and now he’s done it in the regular season. That’s the reason that he’s here.”
When the Chiefs play the Washington Commanders on Monday night, Simmons may not be the line’s only missing starter. Right guard Trey Smith left Kansas City’s Week 7 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders with back pain — and on Thursday, did not participate in practice.
Just as he did against Las Vegas, Mike Caliendo will probably fill in for Smith on Monday night. Reid considers it a luxury to have a reserve player who has appeared in 32 NFL games.
“We’ve always looked at Mike as a starter,” he remarked. “I think all the guys do — [and the] coaches do. So everybody’s got the confidence that when he comes in, you just pick up and go. That’s how I feel about him. I think I’m just speaking for the gang here.”
Another positive development for the offensive line has been the recent play of right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who was called for seven penalties over 2025’s first three games. This left Reid and the coaching staff frequently answering questions about a change at the position. But in the last four contests, Taylor has only drawn one flag: an illegal formation call because he wasn’t correctly “covered” by a wide receiver on the line.
Still, the coaching staff never wavered on Taylor’s actual game film. Reid is pleased with Taylor’s progress.
“I think it was just his mindset on things — and making sure that he took care of business there,” he noted. “I think he’s done a great job with it — and I think that’ll continue. Every lineman has [a penalty] here and there, but you don’t want to stack them up. That’s not a good thing. Right now, he’s playing real good football, and that’s a plus. Even when he was jumping off, his numbers were rich as far as win percentage goes. Take care of that business, and he’s got something going right now.”
Reid also credited offensive line coach Andy Heck with the success running backs Kareem Hunt and Isiah Pacheco have seen in short-yardage plays during recent games.
“Coach Heck, he sets that up,” explained Reid, “and I think the scheme is good. I also think Kareem has a special feel for that. [Pacheco] too. ‘Pop’ jumped in, and he had one nice short-yardage play. But as far as the run game goes, Kareem has always had a knack for that — and he’s a load on top of that. He’s a big kid.”
While the offensive line’s depth is now being tested, Reid is optimistic about his backup players continuing to carry the load.
“As long as those guys do well,” he noted, “it makes everybody’s job a little bit easier. None of it’s easy, but it helps everybody out. Other people benefit from the line doing well — from the quarterback, receivers, running backs. Right now, they’re holding their own in there.”
