The Kansas City Chiefs made offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor a centerpiece of their offseason plans. For the most part, through three games, he’s been fine as the Chiefs’ right-sided offensive anchor. But it’s becoming clear he’s got a problem with illegal formation penalties.
Well, I guess it depends on who you ask.
After the Chiefs embarrassed the Chicago Bears 41-10 Sunday, Reid found himself at the lectern discussing Taylor’s unfortunate penchant for illegal formation transgressions. The Chiefs have played just three games, and Taylor already has three of these kinds of penalties — one on Sunday literally wiped out a touchdown.
In defending his player, Reid blasted the officiating of Taylor, saying he’s being “picked on.” Then, on Monday, Reid doubled down, saying how officials have treated Taylor thus far has been inconsistent and “ridiculous.”
Andy Reid on Jawaan Taylor:
"He might be being picked on just a little bit here. . . I thought it was too much."
Says it wasn't his opinion last week but implies that today's game was over the top.
— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) September 24, 2023
#Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, again, on Jawaan Taylor:
"I'd double down even more on what I said yesterday. They've got an eye on him, and they better keep an eye on everyone else, too. It's to the point of being ridiculous."
— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) September 25, 2023
For what it’s worth, Patrick Mahomes also weighed in earlier, saying Taylor’s treatment has been “wild”:
Patrick Mahomes on Jawaan Taylor:
"It's wild to me. When you go back and look at the tablet, they're both in the same spot. I don't understand it. . . I know it's hard to officiate, but I watch a lot of tape and he's no further back than any other tackle in the league."
— Jordan Foote (@footenoted) September 24, 2023
Reid and Mahomes can express their displeasure all they want, but that won’t (or shouldn’t) change anything. Yes, officials usually offer a lot of leeway to offensive linemen and how they set up at the line of scrimmage. It’s sometimes almost entirely subjective and up to a referee if they actually call a penalty on someone.
But Taylor’s illegal formation penalties thus far have been egregious and hard to ignore. He’s sometimes lining up a full foot backward to give himself a shot for a deeper pass set. That will not fly, and any rational referee would penalize him.
My advice to Reid and Mahomes in their lobbying for Taylor? Perhaps they should tell their right tackle to start lining up normally.