Kansas City Chiefs Could Target Free-Agent Tackle Taylor Decker To Shore Up Offensive Line

Chiefs Could Target Taylor Decker To Bolster Offensive Line© Instagram

Patrick Mahomes is coming back from the first major injury of his career, and the Chiefs' offensive line does not inspire a lot of confidence heading into the stretch run. Kansas City cut Jawaan Taylor without a clear replacement at left tackle, and the options currently on the roster range from unproven to concerning. That backdrop is why Taylor Decker keeps coming up in conversations about what the Chiefs could do next. The former Detroit Lions starter is a free agent after Detroit released him earlier this year, and his combination of experience and availability makes him a logical candidate for a team that is very much in win-now mode.

What Decker Brings to the Table

Decker is a 10-year veteran with 140 career starts and a Pro Bowl selection in 2024. Detroit released him this offseason following a three-year, $60 million deal, and while his play dipped in 2025, the underlying numbers were not catastrophic. He allowed just two sacks in 551 pass-blocking snaps and never graded below 73.2 on PFF in the four seasons before his decline year. For a team that needs a bridge solution at left tackle rather than a long-term answer, those numbers are workable. The working theory in Kansas City is that Decker could start on the left side while Josh Simmons, who played right tackle in college, shifts to the other side, giving the line more experienced pieces on both ends.

The Risk Kansas City Has to Accept

Decker is 33 and ranked 41st of 89 qualifying offensive tackles by PFF in 2025, a slide from where he was at his peak. He has also been called for five penalties in nearly every season of his career, a habit that tends to show up in big moments. Spotrac projects his market value north of $42 million on a two-year deal, though analysts covering the Chiefs expect any actual contract to come in lower given his age and the depth of his decline last year. With Jaylon Moore, Wanya Morris, and Esa Pole as the current alternatives, the Chiefs may decide that an aging former Pro Bowler on a discounted short-term deal is a better answer than waiting on unproven depth to figure itself out behind Mahomes.