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The latest on Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor’s knee is both positive and frightening at the same time.

With Week 1 of the 2025-26 regular season on the horizon, the Kansas City Chiefs are benefitting from a (relatively) clean bill of health.

The reigning AFC champions figure to have most of their roster available for September 5’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers, but there is one situation flying under the radar.

Quietly, the readiness of right tackle Jawaan Taylor has been a question all offseason. It remains a bit of a wild card for the regular season, even with him set to play.

Jawaan Taylor’s Knee Update Is Positive Yet Terrifying

Speaking to the media on Wednesday, Taylor provided the latest on his knee. The 27-year-old tackle started with the good news.

“I’m feeling better, man,” Taylor said. “Just taking it one day at a time, just in treatment every day [and] getting it warm before I go out to practice and making sure I’m good to go for our game day.”

Despite that improvement, Taylor didn’t play in Kansas City’s second preseason game. The conditions at Lumen Field against the Seattle Seahawks weren’t favorable for his delicate situation.

“I feel like all knee injuries, if you’re on turf [and] on those hard surfaces, it’s bad,” Taylor said. “And the long flights. Just taking a four-hour flight, that’s a lot on your knee, too. I know with me, I had a draining every week last year leading up to the game. It was just trying to avoid that, that’s all.”

The touch-and-go nature of Taylor’s knee is the concerning part. During training camp, he revealed that he had a scope procedure done back in March. That stemmed from the initial injury in Week 5 of last season. Taylor played through the pain all year long, albeit after the series of drainages performed to ensure he could suit up. The results, predictably, didn’t live up to his hefty contract.

Being in a better place is great, but the knee might still require a draining after a flight to Sao Paolo, Brazil for Week 1.

“It’s a long flight, so just making sure I’m keeping on compression sleeves on the way there,” Taylor said. “Once I get there, we’ll see if I have to get it drained — possibly not. But other than that, just get on the flight and go play the game.”

Chiefs Benefitting From Improved Offensive Tackle Picture in 2025

Barring a setback, it’s safe to assume Taylor will keep fighting through any potential discomfort. That isn’t an ideal setup, but perhaps the scope truly did do him some good. In an optimal development, Taylor plays out this season without missing time and does so at a higher level than he did in 2024-25.

If not, the Chiefs are insulated. The left side of their line, specifically, should be much improved. A year ago, none of their options panned out. Kingsley Suamataia struggled to begin the year, then Wanya Morris didn’t hold up thereafter. The in-season signing of D.J. Humphries never worked, and left guard Joe Thuney got exposed when playing out of position in Super Bowl LIX. Rookie first-round pick Josh Simmons, widely praised since April, could be a real solution.

There’s also a capable replacement as a swing tackle. Offseason signing Jaylon Moore, previously viewed as the left-side starter, is now a backup on either side. Head coach Andy Reid worked him in throughout the offseason as Taylor’s reps got managed. Heck, that remained the case into the preseason.

The next big test is how the Simmons-Taylor duo holds up in real games. The latter is operating at a potential disadvantage but then again, no one knew the extent of his 2024 injury. He’s clearly a smart, tough tackle.

The Chiefs played the long game with Taylor all spring and summer. The fall will determine whether that caution and patience were worth it.

Jordan Foote is a seasoned sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com with an emphasis on the Kansas City Chiefs, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers. He has years of experience publishing NFL and MLB content for Sports Illustrated’s On SI vertical, in addition to a background in NBA coverage for multiple outlets. Foote is a Baker University alumnus, earning his degree in Mass Media. He’s based in Kansas City. More about Jordan Foote