As the musical chairs of free agency and trades wind down for the Chiefs, let’s see where things stand.
A handful of players with Kansas City last season re-signed as free agents, including linebacker Nick Bolton and wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown.
Lost to date are six players. That group includes guard Joe Thuney in a trade with the Chicago Bears and safety Justin Reid to the New Orleans Saints.
Then there’s the list of newcomers, and from this collection comes perhaps the most intriguing and impactful acquisition. He has started a grand total of 12 NFL games over four seasons.
But left tackle Jaylon Moore, the primary backup to All-Pro Trent Williams with the San Francisco 49ers, believes he has reached the intersection of right place and right time.
“It’s a great organization, a great team,” Moore said of the Chiefs. “Everything that I’ve heard from the outside, having teammates that came from the organization, I know it’s top tier and I’m excited.”
Moore’s position was a Chiefs priority after the band-aid operation ultimately failed last season. In all, four started at left tackle with Thuney moving over from guard as the final option. It worked well enough ... until Thuney and the rest of the line got bulled by the Philadelphia Eagles in a Super Bowl loss.
Thuney is gone and last season’s opening game starter Kingsley Suamataia is headed to guard. Wanya Morris figures to compete as a reserve swing tackle.
D.J. Humphries, acquired late last season, started two games before suffering an injury. He remains a free agent.
Moore signed with the Chiefs intending to be the starter, and he says he’s ready.
“In my opinion, the tape doesn’t lie,” Moore said. “I know it’s a small sample size, but I just go out there and play ball the way I know how. They see something in me, so I’m excited to go to the wall for these guys.”
Moore, a fifth-round pick in 2021 from Western Michigan (where he was a college teammate of the Chiefs’ Mike Caliendo), filled in for an injured Williams over a five-game stretch last season and graded well, allowing one sack in that span.
He impressed then-49ers teammate and fellow Chiefs free-agent signee Elijah Mitchell, a running back.
“That’s my boy,” Mitchell said. “Jaylon brings a lot. Even though he was behind one of the best tackles in the league, Jaylon is definitely a sleeper. Patrick Mahomes is going to love what Jaylon brings. He can protect. I’m excited for him.”
Moore said he took what learned in the classroom and from Williams and applied it to game action.
“It was everything I could have imagined,” Moore said. “You kind of sit in the film room every day, and to me, I kind of set a standard for myself. And with that being a standard every day, day in and day out ... being able to study behind (Williams) and kind of critique my game based on what I see every single day. I mean, it made all the difference in the world.”
The Chiefs are hoping Moore can make a difference after signing him to a two-year deal worth $30 million with $21.2 million guaranteed to protect Mahomes’ blindside.
Moore said he wasn’t sure of his direction after the season. Several teams were in the market for his position, and it sounds like Kansas City is where he wanted to be.
“Right after we got the deal done,” Moore said, “I was stoked.”
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Blair Kerkhoff has covered sports for The Kansas City Star since 1989. He was elected to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.