Falcons sign OT Jawaan Taylor after Kaleb McGary’s retirement

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 12: Jawaan Taylor #74 of the Kansas City Chiefs runs out of the tunnel prior to an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 12, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) | Getty Images

The Atlanta Falcons didn't wait around long to sign a potential replacement for retiring right tackle Kaleb McGary. Per Adam Schefter, they've agreed to a one-year, $5 million contract with veteran Jawaan Taylor with up to $1 million in incentives available. Taylor will likely compete to start with a rookie-2026 NFL Draft pending-and will likely be considered the favorite in that competition.

Falcons and former Chiefs free-agent offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor reached agreement today on a one-year deal with a base value of $5 million and an additional $1 million in incentives, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey. pic.twitter.com/NhoXjoYMVj

- Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 8, 2026

Taylor, 28, comes to Atlanta fresh off a three-year stint with the Kansas City Chiefs. The former Jacksonville Jaguars second round pick, who was selected after McGary back in 2019, has been a full-time starter since he arrived in the league, appearing in 111 games and starting all of them. He had been pretty durable, too, missing just one contest in his NFL career before 2025, when an elbow injury cost him the final five games of the season. I should note that he did battle a knee injury throughout 2024, as well, even if he played through it.

The durability will matter a great deal for a team that had to start its third-string tackle for the entire 2025 season, and Taylor's always offered competent pass protection at right tackle, where he's played all but 34 of his NFL snaps. That's the good news, and in that regard he'll be an upgrade over Elijah Wilkinson. The bad news is that Taylor is a significant downgrade from McGary and probably a small one from Wilkinson in terms of his run blocking, which is unfortunate for a team that loves to run as much as Atlanta does. Taylor is also penalized absurdly frequently, often for lining up improperly, with a league-leading 49 penalties during his Chiefs tenure. It's worth noting that this problem got significantly worse in Kansas City, as he was penalized fairly frequently but not at an outlandish clip in Jacksonville. It would not be stunning to see those numbers go down a bit in Atlanta working with Bill Callahan and away from the much-scrutinized Chiefs offense.

Regardless, Taylor was making close to $30 million in Kansas City, so this is a bargain price for a capable starting tackle who will be an upgrade in pass protection over what the Falcons had to work with in 2025. We'll need to know he's healthy and won't be penalized at the same clip he was when he was a Chief, and we'll have to hope his run blocking is good enough to keep this ground game humming. With the Falcons desperately needing an experienced, starting-caliber player after McGary's retirement and not knowing when they'll be able to grab a tackle in the NFL Draft, this signing was a must. Give Taylor a warm welcome!