Chiefs right tackle Jawaan Taylor was matched up against former No. 2 pick Aidan Hutchinson in Week 1 against the Lions, and he was using any advantage he could in order to get the upper hand.
Throughout Thursday’s game, Taylor could be seen lining up questionably deep along the offensive line. The NBC broadcast to brought in rules expert Terry McAulay to discuss the situation, who indicated that Taylor was “not even remotely close” to being in a legal formation.
“To be on the line, his helmet has to break the waist line of the center. And to be honest, we’ve watched him the whole game, he’s really not remotely close,” McAulay said to NBC’s Mike Tirico. “And it’s really putting the defender at a tremendous disadvantage when he can be that far back.”
Terry Mcaulay on how far back Jawaan Taylor is lining up: "To be on the LOS, his helmet has to break the waist line of the center, and tbh we've watched him the whole game, he's really not remotely close. It's putting the DE at a tremendous disadvantage." https://t.co/Sep5xNFq2D pic.twitter.com/qs6XmzuUPC
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On many snaps, Taylor appeared to be standing with his front foot nearly two yards behind the football in order to better handle the pass rush from Hutchinson.
In addition to Taylor’s illegal positioning, the 25-year-old offensive lineman could also regularly be seen moving before the snap, though neither violation was flagged by the referees throughout the night.
