Chiefs Need Big Improvement From This Defensive Star

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting plenty of big plays so far this season, especially from their offensive stars. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes, running back Kenneth Walker III and tight end Travis Kelce have all stood out, and they’re the big reason the Chiefs are currently 4-0. 

But there’s one star who’s not doing much, and that’s defensive  tackle Chris Jones. Jones is getting big money to make sacks and pressure the quarterback, but he’s not doing either of those things, according to a piece from Jesse Newell of The Athletic.

Jones has no sacks through four games, which isn’t totally surprising given the number of double teams he typically faces. But according to Pro Football Focus, he’s currently tied for 50th in the NFL with 11 QB pressures.

The Chiefs also no sacks in their last three games, which is slightly concerning. Rookie edge rusher R Mason Thomas flashed early on, but teams have begun to account for his presence in their game planning. 

Newell suggested that Jones isn’t flashing the same level of dominance as in previous seasons. This isn’t totally surprising, since there were signs that this was starting to happen last year. There were also rumors in the offseason that the Chiefs wanted Jones to rework his big contract, but that didn’t happen. 

Now there’s a big gap between pay and performance. Jones’ cap number for this season is nearly $45 million, which isThat’s top-of-market money for a defensive tackle, per Newell. But the Chiefs aren’t getting anything close to top-level production, and that could be a big problem going forward. 

This was a gamble going into the season, as the Broncos elected to rely on top draft pick Peter Woods to step in for Jones at defensive tackle. The idea was to have Woods be a rotation player early on, but he may be called on to provide production much earlier than the original projected timeline. 

Jones reportedly resisted a restructuring, but he could be in trouble down the line if he doesn’t step it up and produce. The Chiefs are taking the huge cap hit because they don’t have much choice, and they chose to rebuild their defense with the draft. 

The rest of the moves they’ve made are working, and Jones really hasn’t done much since they gave him the big contract the last time they were in the Super Bowl. The question at this point might be whether he has enough left in the tank to do that.