Around 10:30 p.m., not long after the Kansas City Chiefs’ 30-17 win over the Detroit Lions, a group of reporters gathered at the locker of Jaylon Moore.
It had been a day. Moore woke up Sunday morning in a hospital room — just hours after his wife, Sidney, had given birth to their third child, a healthy baby girl named Saleh.
As one might imagine, sleeping next to a hospital bed — while sometimes necessary — is never comfortable. Certainly not for 6-foot-4, 311-pound offensive lineman.
Yet that’s exactly how Moore spent the morning before receiving word of his next assignment: starting at left tackle against defensive end Aiden Hutchinson and a Lions team riding a four-game winning streak into GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“It happened pretty quick,” Moore said. “I was asleep this morning in the hospital and kind of found out when I woke up. But yeah, I mean, I was ready to go regardless.”
Kansas City signed Moore this past offseason after he spent the first four seasons of his career with the San Francisco 49ers, where he worked behind future Hall of Famer Trent Williams. At the time of his Chiefs signing (before the NFL Draft), Moore believed he had finally landed a starting role.
That plan changed when Ohio State’s Josh Simmons unexpectedly fell all the way to the Chiefs, who selected him in the 2025 NFL Draft following a trade-back to No. 32. Healthy after rehabbing from his college injury, Simmons had started all five games for the Chiefs this season.
But when Simmons was ruled out Sunday due to a personal matter, Moore suddenly learned he would be making his first start as a Chief.
“Jaylon did a nice job,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said of Moore. “He just had a baby, too, which is a great thing. Last night or early this morning — however you want to put it.
“But he stepped in — Josh was gone for personal reasons — and for him to step in was a nice thing. I thought he did a nice job, and that’s a tribute to (offensive line coach) Andy (Heck) for rolling those guys during the week and getting that part done.”
Moore doesn’t see many reps with the starting offensive line during practice. So he has to make sure that the few he does get stand out.
“I feel like the biggest thing is mental reps,” Moore said. “This is year five (in the NFL) for me, so I’ve had a good amount of reps. Not saying all of it is mental, but most of it is upstairs — just making sure I’m being intentional with my work during the week.” Once Simmons was drafted, Moore knew his role would shift from potential starter to a swing tackle, similar to his job back in San Francisco. In four years in the Bay Area he made only 12 starts, priding himself on always being prepared when his number was called.
Still, there’s nothing quite like getting to prove it, especially under the Arrowhead lights.
“It’s huge,” Moore said. “The biggest thing for me is earning the trust of my teammates and the coaching staff — just knowing whenever my number is called, I’ll be ready. There’s no need to worry.”
Speaking to reporters after the game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said he had no worries when he learned Simmons wouldn’t play.
“I’ve got all the faith in the world in Jaylon,” Mahomes said. “He came here to do what he did today — go out there and go up against one of the premier pass rushers in the league (Hutchinson) and handled his own.
“That speaks to his professionalism, getting better and better through work throughout the week and being prepared to play at any moment. He went out there and showcased the type of player he is.”
Next to Moore’s locker, right guard Trey Smith smiled in awe at what his fellow lineman had accomplished, considering the circumstances.
“I can’t imagine,” Smith said, before chuckling. “I’m just happy (Moore) had a healthy child, and God bless him and his family … “He’s just a great dude, all around. A dude who works his butt off every single day week in and week out. A good teammate, a good man and just a good addition to the unit that we have — definitely stands for what we believe in with the Chiefs.”
