Ex-Jaguars RT Jawaan Taylor shows in Chiefs-Ravens opener that he hasn't changed
During his stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, right tackle Jawaan Taylor gain notoriety for drawing penalty flags at a high rate. The former Florida Gator signed with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 and showed in Week 1 of the 2024 NFL Season that he hasn't changed one bit.
Throughout his career, Taylor routinely takes a step early before the snap, and that was on full display against the Baltimore Ravens in the season opener. Surprisingly, he didn't get a false start penalty early in the game. That wasn't lost on bystanders.
I have never focused on an offensive tackle this much during a live football game
— Ryan Woodall (@WoodyRYW) September 6, 2024
Jawaan Taylor lines up “illegally”, false starts on just about every play. He hardly ever comes to a set position, constantly bouncing his right leg and then jumps before the snap. It’s insane. https://t.co/ePB4xdDrB0
It wasn't until late in the game that Taylor was finally called for a false start. What makes this even more egregious is that the Baltimore Ravens were routinely flagged for illegal formations. Left tackle Ronnie Stanley went as far as saying that the refs wanted to make an example out of him.
"The way it was going through the game, I really feel like they were trying to make an example and chose me to be the one to do that, Stanley said via Jordan Mendoza of USA TODAY Sports. "As far as I saw, they weren't doing it on both sides of the ball. And I know that I was lined up in a good position in a majority of those calls they made."
During Baltimore's first possession, they were penalized three times, with Stanley being the recipient in two of them.
The Ravens were called for illegal formation three times on the first drive (twice for Ronnie Stanley) of the 2024 NFL season.
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2024
"Wow! I mean, they are calling this razor-sharp here." - Cris Collinsworth 🏈🎙️🦓 pic.twitter.com/TecSqGP9nQ
Taylor, a second-round pick in the 2019 draft, was highly inconsistent during his time in Jacksonville, averaging 44 total pressures in his first three seasons. He kind of turned the corner in 2022, though, surrendering a manageable 16. On the other hand, the Florida native drew a personal worst 20 penalties that year. But despite his struggles, the Chiefs thought highly enough of him to give him a four-year deal worth $80 million last year.
In his first season with Kansas City, Taylor didn't perform much differently than he did in Duval, allowing five sacks and 47 pressures. He was also benched a handful of times throughout the year, so it's fair to say that the Jaguars didn't miss him much.
The Jaguars found a great replacement for Jawaan Taylor in Anton Harrison
The Jacksonville Jaguars made an offer to Jawaan Taylor before he hit the open market. However, they knew there was strong chance they were going to losing him because he was going to have a robust market.
Having braced themselves for Taylor's departure, the team's brass turned to the draft to look for his replacement. They found him when they took Anton Harrison with the 27th overall pick. Having mostly lined up at left tackle at Oklahoma, the Washington D.C. native made the transition to the right side in Jacksonville. He had trouble adjusting early on progressed, giving up no sacks in the last nine games of his rookie campaign.
After a promising rookie season, Harrison is now seen as a candidate to make a leap in Year 2. Meanwhile, Jawaan Taylor continues to struggle, but that's something the Jaguars shouldn't be concerned about.
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