The Kansas City Chiefs made sure to upgrade the roster over the last few months after failing to secure their third straight Super Bowl. The biggest area of focus was along the offensive line, considering Patrick Mahomes was sacked six times and was under constant duress in the loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Once free agency opened up, the Chiefs handed OT Jaylon Moore a two-year, $30 million deal that included $21.1 million guaranteed. That’s a hefty price for a player who only has 12 starts under his belt. Over four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, he was primarily a backup, as he logged a career-high five starts last season.
Jaylon Moore Already Looks Like He’s Overpaid
He did show flashes in 2024, finishing with a 74.9 overall grade (25th among 140 graded tackles), 73.1 pass-blocking grade (42nd among 140 graded tackles), and a 70.1 run-blocking grade (36th among 140 graded tackles) per PFF. He allowed 10 pressures with one sack allowed.
While the Chiefs are hoping his best days are ahead, they were able to snag Josh Simmons with the 32nd overall pick, and he could be a massive steal. Simmons tore his patellar tendon in his left knee last season at Ohio State, leading to him falling down the draft board.
If he didn’t suffer that injury, he would have been one of the first tackles taken off the board and likely would have been a top 15 pick in the 2025 NFL draft. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler had some positive things to write about Simmons in his draft guide.
Brugler stated, “Simmons explodes out of his stance in pass protection and plays with knee-bend, balance and calmness to govern his movements, shoot his hands and stay square to pass rushers. Overall, Simmons is a nimble, coordinated pass protector with tremendous athletic poise and the body control to be a long-term starting left tackle in the NFL.”
Not only does he has the physical tools that make him an exciting prospect, Jason Kelce compared Simmons to All-Pro LT Trent Williams. In an episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce said, “This kid, I mean, he is the closest thing I’ve seen to like a Trent Williams, like that next-level strength and athleticism. The only reason he fell to you guys is because of that injury.”
That high praise for the rookie continues as George Karlaftis echoed similar sentiments around Simmons. During an episode of “Speak”, Karlaftis stated, “Let’s see how he develops. I think he has all the tools, the intangibles, and the work ethic to be as great as he wants to be. Yeah, it’s all about putting in the work at the end of the day. So, I would agree with Jason’s comparison, for sure.”
Even though Simmons has yet to practice in his first training camp, he’s receiving a ton of praise, as multiple people see his potential.
This doesn’t bode well for Moore. Adam Teicher of ESPN revealed that if Simmons is healthy, he’ll be the starter at left tackle.
Paying Moore $11.1 million in 2025 and $18.7 million in 2026 doesn’t look like a good allocation of funds right now, and already appears to be an overpay for Kansas City.
