ESPN analyst echoes common criticism of one of the Chiefs' biggest moves while giving them offseason grade

The Chiefs didn't have a ton of turnover with their roster during the offseason, but they did make a few key changes.

Kansas City parted ways with veterans such as safety Justin Reid and left guard Joe Thuney. It will be banking on a couple of second-year players to replace them in S Jaden Hicks and offensive lineman Kingsley Suamataia. 

New additions that the Chiefs could lean heavily on in 2025 include cornerback Kristian Fulton and offensive tackles Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore. The latter two will specifically be under the microscope after having a turnstile at the left tackle position last season.

Seth Walder of ESPN handed out his offseason grades for each NFL team on Thursday, and gave the Chiefs a B-. In what could be considered a surprise, his favorite move that K.C. made was signing backup quarterback Gardner Minshew. As for his least favorite, it was the acquisition of Jaylon Moore. Here's an excerpt as to why:

From Seth Walder: "Even without Thuney, the more serious question was at left tackle. Last year's mish-mash of Wanya Morris, Kingsley Suamataia, D.J. Humphries and an out-of-position Thuney wasn't good enough, and the Chiefs had to address the spot. The best option was Ronnie Stanley, but he flew off the board before free agency. Instead, the Chiefs opted for former 49ers backup Jaylon Moore for $15 million per year (and $21 million fully guaranteed), a risky move. Not only was Moore not a starter (to be fair, he was behind 11-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams), but when he played, our metrics were not a fan. Moore has a career 83% pass block win rate at tackle and was at 81% last season, which would have ranked third worst at the position had he qualified. But the Chiefs didn't just rely on Moore. They used the No. 32 pick on Josh Simmons, who could compete for the starting job. On one hand, one of Moore, Simmons or Suamataia could win the job and step up. On the other, it's more likely that tackle will be a weakness again, as most first-year tackles struggle."

If Simmons beats out Moore for the starting LT job, it's certainly not ideal to have to pay a backup $15 million. On the flip side, the Chiefs know better than anybody how crucial it is to have quality depth at the position. With Simmons coming off of an ACL tear back in October, K.C. needed some insurance.

For my money, the best move the Chiefs made this offseason was signing Kristian Fulton. With the number of great quarterbacks they'll be facing this season, having depth at CB is going to be huge. My least favorite move is the addition of running back Elijah Mitchell, but it's hard to fret over it too much considering his contract is just for one year at $2.5 million.