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KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - NOVEMBER 10: Tight end Peyton Hendershot #88, offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor #74, guard Trey Smith #65 and center Creed Humphrey #52 of the Kansas City Chiefs approach the line of scrimmage during the game against the Denver Broncos at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on November 10, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
The Atlanta Falcons got some tough news earlier on Wednesday when right tackle Kaleb McGary announced he will be retiring from the NFL at age 31. He spent six seasons with the Falcons from 2019 to 2024. McGary suffered a severe knee injury before the 2025 season, which caused him to miss the entire season.
Now, in the wake of that news, the Atlanta Falcons have made a notable free agent signing.
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Falcons to Sign Former Chiefs OL Juwaan Taylor
Per NFL sources, the Falcons are reportedly signing OL Juwaan Taylor to a one-year contract worth up to $6 million.
GettyKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – DECEMBER 21: Kareem Hunt #29, Jawaan Taylor #74, Travis Kelce #87, and Mike Caliendo #66 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after Hunt’s rushing touchdown in the second quarter of a game against the Houston Texans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on December 21, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images)
Juwaan Taylor is a 6-5, 330-pound OL out of Florida. He was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 and spent four seasons with the Jaguars before signing with the Kansas City Chiefs.
In his seven-year NFL career, Taylor has started 111 games (out of 111 games played). Last season at the tackle position with the Chiefs, Taylor played 12 games.
With the news of Kaleb McGary retiring, that left a big hole in the Falcons’ offensive line. However, this move to sign Juwaan Taylor addresses that hole pretty quickly. Taylor’s age, 28, might be a reason as to why it’s taken him this long to sign, but the Falcons wasted no time making the value addition.
Taylor is a one-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs back in 2023.
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Juwaan Taylor’s Impact on Falcons
GettySANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 20: Quarterback Patrick Mahomes #15 and Jawaan Taylor #74 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrate after Mahomes scored a fourth quarter touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 20, 2024 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Juwaan Taylor will have a big impact on the 2026 Falcons.
With Atlanta set to have some potential quarterback issues, whoever is in the pocket will need ample time to get rid of the ball before being sacked.
Before the signing of Taylor, Atlanta may have had to rely on drafting Kaleb McGary’s replacement, but thankfully for Falcons fans, this signing comes at a good time just three weeks ahead of the NFL Draft.
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