Good teams are efficient at fixing problems.
Kansas City Chiefs brass saw their franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes get sacked a career-high six times in a blowout Super Bowl 59 loss.
“We’ll learn from this like most games here when you don’t do very well,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the team lost 40-22 to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 59. “You learn from it as a coach, you learn from it as a player, and you move on.”
The Chiefs learned and found a solution to what was a revolving door at left tackle early in free agency.
Kansas City reached an agreement on a two-year deal worth $30 million with offensive tackle Jaylon Moore, a person familiar with the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t become official until the NFL new league year begins on March 12 at 4 p.m. ET.
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Moore is expected to be Mahomes’ new blindside protector at left tackle, a glaring position of need.
The Chiefs went through four starting left tackles last year. Kingsley Suamataia started the first two games before he was demoted in favor of Wanya Morris. By Week 14, Morris was benched in favor of veteran D.J. Humphries. Kansas City then decided to move guard Joe Thuney outside to left tackle.
Kansas City agreed to terms with Moore in hopes he will bring some stability to a previously unstable position.
Is it a risk? Yes.
Moore has started only 12 regular season games in his career and has six playoff appearances. He played behind perennial All-Pro Trent Williams during his four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. But the Chiefs saw enough on tape to give the 27-year-old tackle an opportunity.
Moore allowed one sack and 10 pressures in 271 offensive snaps, including 159 pass-block snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He started five games for San Francisco in 2024.
Mahomes took responsibility for Kansas City’s Super Bowl 59 loss. However, the Chiefs lost in New Orleans because Mahomes was under siege throughout the contest. Philadelphia generated a pressure rate of 38% and didn’t blitz once, per Next Gen stats. The Eagles’ front four forced 16 total pressures in the game.
The Chiefs took a big step forward in addressing their most glaring issue on the first day teams were permitted to negotiate with free agents.
The projected starting offensive line looks like Moore at left tackle, Creed Humphrey at center, recently franchise-tagged Trey Smith at right guard, Jawaan Taylor penciled in at right tackle and Mike Caliendo, who could start at left guard after the team traded Thuney to Chicago. And there’s still ample time for the Chiefs to fortify their O-line in free agency and the upcoming draft.
Kansas City has nine straight AFC West titles and appeared in the Super Bowl five times in the past six seasons. Despite coming up short in Super Bowl 59, they are still in the midst of a dynasty. They took ownership of their biggest problem and are handling it accordingly.
Follow USA TODAY Sports’ Tyler Dragon on X @TheTylerDragon.
