Reid Keeps Apologizing For Chris Jones’ Lack Of Production

The Kansas City Chiefs have a pass rush that isn’t getting home to produce sacks, and it’s becoming abundantly clear that defensive tackle Chris Jones is at the heart of the problem. 

The Chiefs are paying Jones a huge amount of money to produce sacks or help his teammates get them, and he’s been shut out on the stat line in two straight games now, per a report from Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. 

Those two games are losses, and that’s not a coincidence, although Simmons left that part up in the air in his piece. Jones has just  13 total tackles with one tackle for loss, three QB hits, and a half-sack through seven games in 2026, and you can make a credible argument that he’s the most overpaid player in the NFL. 

Coach Andy Reid doesn’t agree, despite the fact that the Chiefs have just eight sacks this season, which is just over one per game. Per Simmons, only the Philadelphia Eagles have a lower sack rate than Kansas City, which has been getting one on just 3.69 percent of opponent dropbacks. By contrast, Minnesota leads the league with a 12.32 percent sack rate, with Chicago at No. 2 at 9.65 percent.

The coach is known for backing his veterans during tough times, and he continues to do that with Jones. His latest version of this has Jones “giving his all” and “doing everything he can do,” as he continues to focus on the double teams Jones consistently draws. 

The technical explanation Reid offered had to do with rushing four lineman and trying to get home, and he threw defensive line coach Joe Cullen under the bus for being the architect of that approach. 

Reid also cited the number of blocked balls as a sign that the Chiefs are “getting close,” but this isn’t horseshoes or hand grenades. The coach also included a comment on the trajectory of the ball being a factor in the lack of sacks, which took the art of excuse-making to a new level. 

The word salad part had the Chiefs wanting to not just get “to” the quarterback, but “on” the quarterback. The semantic hair-splitting can’t hide the numbers, and the glare of the spotlight on Jones is increasing with each passing week. 

Fortunately for the Chiefs, the schedule could provide a temporary answer, as they play the New York Jets, who rank 26th in the league in allowing sacks, per Simmons.