The Kansas City Chiefs' biggest weakness in 2024 has been the play of their offensive tackles.
They have had a revolving door at left tackle, with a whopping four different players starting for them at the position this season. The Chiefs began the season with rookie Kingsley Suamataia, but he was quickly benched and is simply not ready to play at the NFL level yet.
They then turned to second-year player Wanya Morris, who made four starts at left tackle in 2023. Morris' performance during his 10 starts were subpar at best, leading Kansas City to sign veteran D.J. Humphries. In his one start, Humphries was tough to evaluate because it was his first game in a year coming off an ACL injury, and he exited the contest early after suffering a hamstring injury.
That led to the Chiefs kicking left guard Joe Thuney out to left tackle, with Mike Caliendo taking Thuney's place at guard. Thuney has played admirably in two starts and may be the permanent solution for the rest of the season. Then there's Jawaan Taylor, who has started every game at right tackle for K.C. this season.
Taylor has left much to be desired in 2024. Per Pro Football Focus, he has surrendered the eighth-most sacks among all offensive tackles with seven, and has allowed the sixth-most penalties at the position with 13. Taylor also ranks 84th out of 132 tackles in run blocking with a 58.0 grade.
During the Chiefs 27-19 win over the Houston Texans on Saturday, Taylor exited the game early with a knee injury. Taking his place was Morris, who played well against a very good Texans defensive line. On 20 snaps played Morris allowed zero pressures and recorded a 100.0 pass blocking efficiency per PFF.
Morris mostly played right tackle during his collegiate career. Nine-year NFL veteran and former Chiefs offensive guard Jeff Allen, who is an avid watcher of the Chiefs, shared on X that Morris looks like a natural right tackle.
It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Morris could be a better option than Taylor at right tackle. We've seen a big enough sample size of Taylor to know what he brings to the table. One big hang-up the Chiefs could have with making the switch is the financial aspect, as Taylor is in the midst of a four-year, $80 million contract.
However, K.C. is very determined to accomplish a Super Bowl three-peat and may be willing to do anything to get there. Taylor's status for the Chiefs' Christmas Day game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is up in the air, potentially paving the way for Morris to start. If that happens, and Morris plays well, K.C. may have no choice but to make the switch.
