The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl run last season was marred by plenty of uncertainty and issues that could’ve taken the team out. The penalties on the offensive line were an obvious topic, as then-new right tackle Jawaan Taylor had his name called by officials often in 2023.
Taylor spoke with the media on Tuesday after practice. He immediately addressed his issues last season and looked forward to a better 2024.
“Working on bettering myself with penalties and stuff like that, making sure I’m up on the ball and different things like that, but other than that, just doing my part and helping the team win games,” said Taylor. “I’m really just honing in on my technique, getting better with that, and then, make sure I’m in the playbook more. Now’s my second year going into that. I’m pretty comfortable with it and getting better with that overall.”
Taylor was the target of many penalties from last season’s week one loss to the Detroit Lions. The veteran right tackle committed 20 penalties, including 14 false starts. He was flagged for eight infractions in the first three games alone.
“I’ve been changing it up. If you see me in practices lately, I haven’t really been jumping, actually going on on time with Pat’s (Patrick Mahomes) cadence, so just making sure I’m doing it,” said Taylor. ” I was never really frustrated about it (penalties). I just had to keep doing my thing and try to get better every week.”
Taylor is a needed veteran presence who will be counted on for consistency while the competition continues on the left side of the offensive line.