What Kevin Stefanski said about new Falcons OT Jawaan Taylor

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Kaleb McGary's retirement may have come as a surprise to those outside the building, but the Atlanta Falcons knew it was a possibility and had an answer ready, signing former Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor the same day.

Taylor's contract is only a one-year deal, so we can't rule out the Falcons targeting a potential future franchise right tackle in the draft later this week.

At least for now Taylor is the logical candidate to start opposite long-time left tackle Jake Matthews come Week 1.

Asked about Atlanta's newest offensive lineman, head coach Kevin Stefanski had this to say at today's pre-draft press conference with general manager Ian Cunningham.

"Really good cultural fit," said Stefanski. "Great person. You know, enjoyed my time when he came in and just getting to know him a little bit. But he will fit in great with that room, and like Ian mentioned, he's played on some good football teams. He has some great experience at that position, which it's rare that you can have a guy that's available that we can put in there and lean on all that experience."

Taylor (6-foot-5, 330 pounds) came into the league as a second-round pick by Jacksonville, where he spent four years before signing with the Chiefs. All together he's appeared in 111 career games with as many starts. Taylor has won a Super Bowl as part of Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City teams.

Taylor's extensive regular season experience and playoff chops represents a pretty damn-good replacement for McGary - especially at this very late hour in free agency.

Taylor is also only 28 years old, so if he performs well in 2026, there's no reason not to discuss a long-term deal after.

This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Atlanta Falcons: Kevin Stefanski comments on Jawaan Taylor signing



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