Ian Cunningham Explains Why the Falcons Targeted Jawaan Taylor

The Atlanta Falcons avoided draft-day pressure with the swift Jawaan Taylor signing

The Atlanta Falcons Quickly Replace Kaleb McGary With Veteran Tackle Jawaan Taylor | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

FLOWERY BRANCH – Following the sudden announcement that Kaleb McGary was retiring, the Atlanta Falcons moved quickly. Within just a few hours, they had officially signed Jawaan Taylor as his replacement. 

“We knew that was a possibility,” general manager Ian Cunningham said about McGary’s retirement. “Kaleb was obviously a really good player for the franchise, and we were fortunate to be able to get a player in Jawaan Taylor, who's started a lot of games at right tackle and played on some really good teams at right tackle. We're excited about him and what he can bring to our offense, in the run and passing game.”

To Cunningham’s point, the former second-round pick has started 111 games over his career with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Kansas City Chiefs. The 28-year-old won a Super Bowl in 2023, but he was released as a cost-cutting measure this offseason. 

The Falcons, who are without a first-round pick this week, quickly removed the pressure of McGary’s retirement with this swift move. Taylor is a ready-made starter, and the Falcons effectively shifted the need to next season with his one-year deal. 

As for his fit in Atlanta this season, the Falcons like what they have. Head coach Kevin Stefanski echoed that sentiment when discussing Taylor’s arrival.

"Really good cultural fit," Stefanski said. "Great person. I 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 is rare that you can have a guy that's available that we can put in there and lean on all that experience."

One reason he may still have been available is one of the primary concerns with this addition. Taylor has been heavily penalized in recent seasons. He picked up a whopping 40 flags over three years with the Chiefs, and he was eighth in total flags last season despite playing in just 12 games.

“We'll work through all those things,” Stefanski said. “That's something that we as coaches need to understand all of our players and help them work through anything technically and fundamentally.” 

Overall, the Falcons will now enter the draft without the glaring need at right tackle. Taylor, at the very least, is an effective stopgap at the position heading into 2026. Should he perform well, he could also turn into much more than that.

The Falcons could still look to add developmental depth during the draft or revisit the position again next offseason. Still, Taylor's presence alleviated the pressure just as quickly as it was applied. 

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