KC Chiefs: Time to see what defense looks like without Chris Jones
One of the biggest storylines this past offseason and likely this upcoming offseason surrounded Chris Jones and a potential extension for him. The KC Chiefs are about to see what their defense will look like without Jones.
Sunday night’s loss to the Colts (can they go away already?) was bad in just about every facet of the game, but what really stung were all the injuries the Kansas City Chiefs sustained in that battle. One of the biggest injuries was to defensive lineman Chris Jones, who strained his groin in the loss.
Ian Rapoport tweeted out on Monday that Jones is considered week-to-week, which is not good news for a Chiefs team that is already seeing poor results from their defense early on.
Here was the tweet from Rapoport,
#Chiefs DL Chris Jones, who suffered a groin strain last night, is expected to miss some time and is considered week-to-week, source said. He had his MRI today and appears to be the most significant injury out of last night for KC.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 7, 2019
Jones being out means the Chiefs will see what life might look like should they not offer an extension to their former second round pick after this season. He was drafted in 2016, meaning the Chiefs can slap the franchise tag on him the next two years if they really want to.
Considering they’ve recently traded for and paid Frank Clark, extended Tyreek Hill, and are likely going to make Patrick Mahomes the highest paid player after the season wraps up, offering an extension to Jones might not be as much of a given as it seems.
The defense hasn’t inspired much confidence this season, sitting third to last in the league when it comes to rushing yards allowed per game. The pass rush is tied for 20th in the league in sacks too, which isn’t exactly ideal considering they were first in that department a season ago and opted to trade away two of their best pass rushers and bring in Frank Clark instead.
While no Chiefs fan is wanting to see the defense get destroyed these next few weeks while Jones is out, it would show the front office that he’s a necessary piece for this defense moving forward. Offense makes the league go, but it’s incredibly difficult to win a Super Bowl without something even somewhat resembling a defense.
The Chiefs will face the Texans, Broncos, Packers, and Vikings in their next four games and not having Chris Jones around for those could be telling. It’ll be a rough stretch, but if somehow the defense holds its own with Jones out, maybe that’s another sign for what’s to come with this organization.