Andy Reid: I took Jawaan Taylor out for a couple of plays so he could step back
Entering Week 2, Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said he was sure officials had been notified about Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who had apparently gotten away with several infractions in Week 1.
That was not the case on Sunday, even as the Chiefs defeated the Jaguars 17-9.
Taylor was flagged five times — two false starts, one illegal formation for lining up too far in the backfield, and two holding calls — during the contest. When Taylor was called for holding twice in a three-play sequence in the third quarter, head coach Andy Reid briefly benched the right tackle. Prince Tega Wanogho came in to finish that drive, but Taylor was back on the field later.
"I took him out for a couple plays. Stepped back," Reid said in his postgame press conference. "This is home, not only home, but also where he played. You know, just stepped back and let's get you back out there. He had some big blocks later in the game there. Did a nice job finishing."
The Chiefs signed Taylor to a four-year, $80 million deal in March. The initial thought was that he would play left tackle, but then Kansas City signed veteran Donovan Smith — who was also flagged for holding on Sunday — to fill that role. So, Taylor has stayed on the right side, which is where he started for four years with Jacksonville.
Quarterback Patrick Mahomes said Taylor will get "better and better."
“I mean, through social media he knew some of this was going to get called,” Mahomes said postgame. “They're cracking down on some of the alignment stuff, but we're playing football, man. He'll get closer to the line of scrimmage than I guess everyone else, but he'll get closer, so they don't call it and we'll continue to work on the snap counts.
“But he's a great player. He'll continue to play and get comfortable. And it's hard when they're getting picked on a little bit to keep playing your game, but I have all the confidence in him in the world.”
We’ll see what Taylor does and doesn’t get flagged for when the Chiefs play the Bears next weekend.
