Tipping plays? Lined up illegally? False start? Chiefs’ Jawaan Taylor scrutinized Thursday

Pete Grathoff
·3 min read
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Jawaan Taylor’s positioning on the Chiefs offensive line was a talking point during Thursday’s game.
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NBC broadcaster Cris Collinsworth couldn’t resist.

When Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor was called for a false start late in Thursday’s season-opening 21-20 loss to the Lions, Collinsworth quipped: “There you see Jawaan Taylor playing slot receiver.”

As you probably guessed, Taylor wasn’t really at wide receiver. But where he was lined up before a snap was a point of conversation for most of the game during the broadcast.

At one point, NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay was asked if Taylor was positioned legally.

“To be on the line, his helmet has to break the waist line of the center,” said McAulay, a former NFL referee. “To be honest, we’ve watched him the whole game, he’s really not remotely close. And it’s really putting the defensive end at a tremendous disadvantage when he can be that far back.”

That wasn’t the only complaint leveled at Taylor during Thursday’s game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

False starts?

Former Texans defensive line star J.J. Watt didn’t mention Taylor by name, but he noted on X (the former Twitter) that “many offensive tackles jump the snap count and leave just before the ball is actually snapped.”

NFL writer Dov Kleiman shared this video that has been viewed millions of times. Many fans believed it showed Taylor getting an early start before the ball was snapped.

Fans complaining throughout the game, including Pro Football Talk, but a Sports Illustrated story from earlier this year noted: “Players in a two-point stance are allowed to adjust their back foot before the snap.”

Tipping the Chiefs plays?

A bigger concern for the Chiefs may be how Taylor lined up on certain plays. Collinsworth noted that Taylor was no longer lined up too far back when the Chiefs ran the ball.

When the Chiefs passed, Taylor was lined up farther back.

Was Taylor tipping what Chiefs play was coming?

Former Steelers/Giants/Washington safety Ryan Clark noticed that quirk, as did ex-49ers/Seahawks wide receiver Michael Robinson. Both are now TV analysts.

Robinson wrote on X: “If you watch #Chiefs tackle Jawaan Taylor, you can tell exactly what the play is. If he’s back and moving, pass play. If he’s stagnant, run play. Crazy the #Lions coaching staff isn’t hounding the refs!”

Clark shared this: “Yo!! The Jawaan Taylor has to have a pass/run tell. No way he can sit that deep on runs.”