Here's why Chiefs GM Brett Veach is excited to have Jaylon Moore
The Chiefs signed Moore during free agency to stabilize left tackle position
Jaylon Moore believes he’s ready to be a full-time starting left tackle.
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach clearly agreed after signing Moore to a two-year contract in March at the start of free agency.
And if it all works out, the Chiefs will finally have something that has been missing on the offensive line in recent years.
“I don’t think it’s a secret we want to get stability there at the left tackle position,” Veach said Thursday during a predraft Zoom teleconference. “He’s a guy I think the only downside was the lack of starts in his career. Now, when you consider the fact that he played behind a first-ballot Hall of Fame player in Trent Williams, you can see why. But he’s athletic, he’s a smart kid.”
The signing of Moore, 27, might have initially led to some head scratching around the league, but the Chiefs were already familiar with the offensive lineman.
Veach revealed that he and his staff had the 6-foot-4, 311-pound Moore on the radar before the 2021 NFL Draft.
“We did a lot of work on him during the predraft process years ago,” Veach said. “Always had a liking – taken a liking – to the kid. I thought he had a game that translates. And credit to him when he had a chance to go out there and log six, seven starts last year, he did a really good job.”
Moore joined the Chiefs in March after four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he appeared in 55 career games with 12 starts.
He’s now the next man up at left tackle after the Chiefs have gone through Orlando Brown, Donovan Smith, Kingsley Suamataia, Wanya Morris and D.J. Humphries since Eric Fisher left in 2021.
While the Chiefs are hoping to effectively close the revolving door at left tackle, it doesn’t mean Veach will stand pat if an intriguing player falls in the upcoming draft.
“We’re really excited about Jaylon Moore and what he could bring to the table,” Veach said. “Again, small sample size, but it’s been really good and we’re excited to work with him.
“But it’s a long season and Jaylon has a two-year contract and (right tackle) Jawaan (Taylor) is getting towards the tail end of his contract, too, so you always have to have one on the present, one eye on the future. So, I think that obviously any chance you have to draft a guy that you can project to be a starting left tackle, you do that. They’re really hard to come by. I mean, it’s not one of those things – I mean, look, you can hit on any position throughout the course of the draft, but consistently, those slam dunk franchise tackles, they’re typically Top 15, Top 20 picks. So, if one does slide or if we’re able to get one even in later rounds if you think has a higher upside than some of those prospects in past years, you don’t ever shy away from that position.”
In the meantime, Moore projects to open the season as the starting left tackle regardless of what the Chiefs do in the upcoming draft.
And it’s up to Moore to build on what he did in San Francisco and accomplish what he’s been brought in to do.
“The next step is maintain that level of play throughout the course and duration of a season,” Veach said. “But, again, we’re super excited to add him and hopefully provide some stability to the left side of the line.”
