Jawaan Taylor on How He'll Bounce Back After Tumultuous Season

Following a unique 2023-24 campaign, Taylor is approaching things a bit differently now entering training camp.

Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor (74) poses for a photo after winning Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

By just about every account measurable (or immeasurable), the Kansas City Chiefs experienced an up-and-down season last year. It may have ended with a Super Bowl LVIII win over the San Francisco 49ers, but not without plenty of evidence suggesting that wasn't a likely outcome.

Perhaps no player represents the roller coaster more than right tackle Jawaan Taylor.

With Orlando Brown Jr. and Andrew Wylie departing via free agency, the reigning champions needed a new starting offensive tackle on both sides. Taylor was inked to a lucrative four-year, $80 million contract to fill Wylie's shoes, a pickup that was met with mostly praise in the weeks thereafter. The regular season saw anything but that, however, as the former second-round pick battled inconsistent play and a multitude of excessive penalties.

Speaking to the media this week at training camp, Taylor revealed whether he let the 2023 season bother him in real time.

"I wasn't really frustrated," Taylor said. "At the end of the day, I'm here to play football and do my job and just try to help the team win. I wasn't really frustrated about it – just had to keep doing my thing and try to get better every week."

The questions were abundant at the very onset of the season. In Week 1's loss to the Detroit Lions, Taylor was penalized once. The week after, a matchup against his former team with the Jacksonville Jaguars' fans in attendance, he racked up five more. Concerns about Taylor's alignment and timing at the snap overflowed, and his play didn't reflect the contract he was just given.

Some campaigned for him to get benched. Others wondered how early Kansas City could get out of the deal. Despite that, both team and player stood by one another and worked through a rough on-field patch. Taylor says that during practices, he's now "changing it up" and focusing on not jumping early but instead moving along with the cadence of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The 26-year-old tackle explained that he's "pretty comfortable" entering his second year with the team. He had a list of things to focus on during the offseason, namely technique but also plenty of conditioning.

"Really, man, just cardio," Taylor said. "I make sure I do a lot of cardio in the offseason. Lifting, I do a lot of that too but mainly just making sure I'm in shape [and] being able to go those long games and play a lot of plays. We throw the ball a lot here, so making sure you're in shape is always good."

Taylor's prior-season performance wasn't as poor as some have projected, but there's undoubtedly plenty to work on for 2024. He was penalized more than any tackle in football last year, finishing with six more than the next-closest player. According to Pro Football Focus, his 48.5 overall grade during the postseason was the worst of 18 tackles to play at least half the amount of maximum snaps. That's just one outlet's take based on subjective advanced stats, but it's noteworthy.

At his best last season, Taylor was a very competent tackle. The Chiefs hope to see more of that this year as he enters his second campaign with the organization. With a clearer mind and a more defined outlook of what to expect, Taylor is still very glad he chose to come to Kansas City.

"One of the best decisions I've made in my life, honestly," Taylor said. "I've lived in Florida my whole life so moving to a different state, that was different. It was an adjustment, but I'm glad I made the decision to step outside of my comfort zone. We're here now."

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