To upgrade the left tackle position, there were rumors the Kansas City Chiefs would go with an established veteran like Ronnie Stanley of the Baltimore Ravens or Dan Moore of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There were also some thought they could bring back an older former Chiefs player like D.J. Humphries or Donovan Smith.
Instead the Chiefs went with 27-year-old Jaylon Moore. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported they signed him to a two-year, $30 million deal with $21.24 million guaranteed.
The fifth-round pick in the NFL 2021 Draft had just finished his four-year rookie contract with the San Francisco 49ers and was a free agent.
He has started seven games the last two years, but the 6-4, 311-pound tackle has good size and athletic ability, though he can be susceptible to inside pressure.
One of the game’s best left tackles, Trent Williams, prevented Moore from seeing more action.
For his 271 offensive snaps in 2024, Pro Football Focus gave him a 74.9 grade (25th among tackles) and rated him fairly evenly at blocking in the pass (73.1) and run (70.1) game.
Chiefs offensive line coach Andy Heck likely knows Moore well.
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When the 49ers signed Andy’s son, Charlie, to the active roster, they made room for the acquisition by placing Moore (quadriceps) on injured reserve late in the 2024 season.
Why Jaylon Moore Was Necessary
Moore makes sense for the Chiefs, who went 15-2 in the regular season in 2024 but had a glaring weakness at left tackle.
“That will be one of the spots we look at,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said at the NFL Combine, “for sure.”
Last year they tried second-round draft pick Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris and Humphries before ultimately moving Pro Bowl left guard Joe Thuney to left tackle.
“Joe’s a natural guard, center. I mean, that’s really what his position was,” Reid said. “By the graciousness of his heart, he stepped out and played tackle for us and what a job he did.”
Thuney, who was traded to the Chicago Bears for a fourth-round pick in 2026, held up fairly well — even earning team MVP honors — until the disastrous Super Bowl LIX when Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and hit five more.
With a 2025 NFL Draft lacking in great offensive tackle talent — at least by the time the Chiefs will be picking at 31st overall — free agency always seemed like the place to address their hole at left tackle.
“There’s not a lot of depth of starting tackle-caliber players in this draft,” said NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah.
Stanley, who is 30 years old and a two-time Pro Bowler, would’ve been an ideal candidate at left tackle, but the Ravens resigned him to a three-year, $60 million contract.
Dan Moore, who has started 66 games for the Steelers, signed a four-year, $82 million contract with the Tennessee Titans.
Current and Future Chiefs OL
Much like current right tackle Jawaan Taylor, Moore also brings positional versatility. He played both tackle positions in the 2024 preseason.
Taylor, who has had issues with false-start penalties, has a potential out after the year on the four-year, $80 million contract he signed before the 2023 season.
So Moore could eventually replace him on that side too.
For now much of the Chiefs’ offensive line is solidified. Right guard Trey Smith just signed his franchise tag tender, and center Creed Humphrey signed a four-year, $72 million contract before last season began.
And now the major piece of the puzzle — left tackle — has come into place.