Getty Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor blocks for quarterback Patrick Mahomes II against the New York Jets in Week 4.
Kansas City Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor can’t catch a break at the moment. Not only is he seemingly under the microscope of the NFL officials right now, but the league is also choosing to discipline him financially after a Week 4 facemask that produced a safety versus the New York Jets.
A-to-Z Sports KC media member Charles Goldman relayed the news on October 7, stating: “Chiefs RT Jawaan Taylor was fined $16,391 for his Facemask penalty against Jets LB Bryce Huff that caused a safety in Week 4’s tilt on SNF.”
The NFL announced this piece of information on Saturday’s official league notice for media personnel.
Chiefs Kingdom Reacts to Jawaan Taylor’s Pricey NFL Fine
Needless to say, Chiefs fans were not happy to hear about this forfeiture — especially after Tyreek Hill implied that the NFL was helping KC win games.
“Yeah but the league favors the Chiefs,” one supporter replied sarcastically.
Another argued: “Surely they fined [Jets RB] Breece Hall too.” They did not, despite a potential facemask penalty on Hall that went unflagged.
“Chris Collinsworth should pick up the tab,” a third voiced, and a fourth said: “Cool story… anyone from the jets fined? Maybe the coach? Nah.”
Robert Saleh did not hold back on the ref that threw the late flag 😤
It is somewhat surprising that NYJ head coach Robert Saleh was not disciplined for screaming at the sideline official after the holding call on cornerback Sauce Gardner. Later, Saleh was even flagged for his actions during the game, but he appears to have avoided a financial loss at this time.
Finally, one fan questioned: “Do they always give out fines for facemask penalties? That’s feels super steep.” To which Goldman responded: “Yes. The amount varies by the number of offenses. $10,927 for the first offense. $16,391 for the second offense and beyond.”
Based on that understanding of league policy, Taylor’s pricey facemask fine is a little bit easier to rationalize, but the illegal formation and false start penalty-spree is still up for debate.
“It’s wild to me,” Patrick Mahomes II spoke out in Taylor’s defense on September 24. “I mean, when you go back and look at the tablet, [the offensive tackles are] both [lined up] in the exact same spot.”
“I just, I don’t understand it,” the superstar QB went on. “It’s hard, he’s playing great football and he’s getting these penalties thrown on him. I know it’s hard to officiate, but I watch a lot of tape and he’s [lining up] no deeper than any other tackle in the league. I mean, there’s other guys that are even further back than he is.”
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid echoed Mahomes’ opinion at the time.
Chiefs Choosing Not to Elevate Players From Practice Squad vs. Vikings
According to KSHB41 media insider Nick Jacobs, the Chiefs will not be utilizing any practice squad elevations this week against the Minnesota Vikings. They did make one roster move ahead of the Week 5 contest, however, transferring reserve linebacker and special teamer Cole Christiansen to the “practice squad injured list,” per Jacobs.
This means that Christiansen will not count against Kansas City’s practice squad number moving forward — and it’s also likely that the Chiefs will sign a new player in the coming days.
KC is relatively healthy heading into Sunday’s game, as backup offensive tackle Wanya Morris appeared to avoid an injury scare on Thursday and linebacker Nick Bolton (ankle) and defensive tackle Matt Dickerson (knee) logged limited practices on Friday according to the final injury report for Week 5.
Cornerback Jaylen Watson also returned to practice earlier this week, leaving Bolton and Dickerson as the only “questionable” tags heading into Minnesota.