Chiefs To Sign T Jaylon Moore

After a host of left tackle plans eventually ended with a Super Bowl loss that magnified that issue, the Chiefs are spending to add a potential upgrade.

Jaylon Moore is relocating from San Francisco to Kansas City, with FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz reporting the Chiefs are adding the former 49ers swing tackle. Moore will sign a two-year, $30MM deal the Chiefs.

This still represents a bit of a gamble on the Chiefs’ part. Moore does have 12 career starts on his resume, but he has never operated as a preferred starter. The 49ers had stationed him as their swingman behind Trent Williams and Colton McKivitz over the past two seasons, as McKivitz was the swing player behind Williams and Mike McGlinchey previously. Moore, however, was rumored to be drawing extensive interest on the market.

Williams’ late-season ankle injury opened the door, however, for Moore’s first extended audition. Pro Football Focus graded Moore just outside the top 25 among tackles last season, though the four-year veteran did not have enough snaps (271) to qualify as a regular. That is the central part of the Chiefs’ gamble, and their recent efforts to staff this position should induce some pause before declaring this signing a win.

Kansas City let Orlando Brown Jr. walk in 2023, after failing to extend him at the 2022 franchise tag deadline, and used Donovan Smith as a stopgap in 2023. That was a more effective plan than the team’s 2024 route, which featured second-round rookie Kingsley Suamataia benched in Week 2 and then 2023 third-rounder Wanya Morris parked later in the season. The Chiefs’ in-season D.J. Humphries addition preceded another injury for the ex-Cardinal, who went down in his first game with his new team. Joe Thuney then relocated to LT and fared reasonably well — until a poor Super Bowl showing reminded of the Chiefs’ blowout loss to the Buccaneers.

The Chiefs have traded Thuney to the Bears, making Trey Smith their high-priced guard. Suamataia has been rumored to be the team’s initial choice to replace Thuney at LG. Kansas City also has embattled RT Jawaan Taylor locked into his $19.5MM 2025 salary, thanks to his guarantee vesting a year ago. As the team will build around Smith and Creed Humphrey, it will hope Moore (27) will provide some elusive blindside stability for Patrick Mahomes.

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