The Atlanta Falcons knew the risks involved when they signed Jawaan Taylor. But it was late enough into free agency that they weren't exactly blessed with the luxury of options. Kaleb McGary had just retired, and as sad as it sounds, Taylor was far and away the best option for the Falcons to bring in.
Atlanta signed Taylor to a one-year deal worth $5 million in April, which is pretty low-stakes for a starting right tackle--but fitting after how rough he looked in Kansas City. After signing a four-year, $80 million deal with the Chiefs, it exposed some red flags in his game that appear to still be there.
Across three seasons with the Chiefs, Jawaan Taylor was called for 56 penalties--and was the NFL's most-penalized player in 2023. Moreover, he's been called for a league-leading 74 penalties across the last five seasons, including 35 holds, 10 illegal formations, and his fair share of false start calls.
The false start flags are his biggest issue, and unfortunately, it seems that nothing has changed despite the new jersey.
The Atlanta Falcons might be starting to regret signing Jawaan Taylor
Due to a nagging injury, the 28-year-old missed a good chunk of his first training camp with the Falcons--and was only activated off the active/PUP list midway through the summer. This saw Taylor miss the first two games of the preseason, but he did play in last week's finale against the Dolphins.
And in that game, the penalties continued. In just 14 snaps, he was called for another two false start penalties and logged a dismal 24,9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus. This is what the Dirty Birds were hoping to avoid when they signed him, knowing full well he has a history of pre-snap penalties.
To Taylor's credit, this could be chalked up to an adjustment period in a new system. Both Ryan Neuzil and Corey Levin snap the ball quickly, and he has to learn how to time his movement better. And luckily, working with legendary OL coach Bill Callahan should benefit the veteran tackle in this area.
However, as far as right now goes, this is far from ideal. Injury or not, this is the one thing the Falcons were hoping to help him fix. The 2020 second-round pick out of Florida was already one of the lowest-graded tackles by PFF a season ago--and that's an issue that goes well beyond the penalties.
The Atlanta Falcons have one of the better offensive lines in football, but the right tackle spot is the clear weak link. And now that Jawaan Taylor's penalty issues have followed him from Kansas City, it's hard to feel confident in him as a blindside protector for either Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa.
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