The Kansas City Chiefs came away with a haul on the first night of the draft, trading up for cornerback Mansoor Delane and selecting defensive tackle Peter Woods. Delane's arrival shakes up the secondary and could spell the end for Kristian Fulton’s time in Kansas City. But Woods may also send a ripple effect through the Kansas City defense, especially when it comes to the future of Chris Jones.
As of this moment, Jones will be back for another year in Kansas City, but his leash is becoming shorter. Set to turn 32 in July, Jones will be battling Father Time on the back end of his career, and it’s possible that Woods joining the Chiefs’ defensive tackle group could be the first domino that puts an end to one of the pillars of Kansas City’s dynasty in the early 2020s.
Chris Jones Must Rebound After Chiefs Add Peter Woods in NFL Draft
This isn’t to say that Jones hasn’t had a remarkable career in Kansas City. A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, the Chiefs hit the jackpot with the Mississippi State product. His 87.5 sacks rank third in Chiefs history, and there’s a good chance he’ll pass Tamba Hali (89.5) for second place and trail only Derrick Thomas (126.5) by the end of the year. He’s also made seven straight Pro Bowls, and has six total All-Pro selections split between the first (2022, 2023, 2024) and second (2018, 2020, 2021) teams.
Mix in three Super Bowl rings, and he’s in the conversation as one of the greatest players in franchise history, but his performance hasn’t been the same over the past couple of seasons.
Last year was a turning point in Jones’s career as he posted a career-low 70.5 overall grade according to Pro Football Focus. That mark was also the lowest since he posted a 72.6 grade in his rookie season, and was the first time with a grade under 88.0 since the 2021 season. Of course, Jones bounced back from that campaign by recording a career-high 15.5 sacks and his first First-Team All-Pro selection. But it’s not a given that will happen this time around.
Jones’s seven sacks were a solid number last season, but he wasn’t gaining consistent pressure. With his 63 total pressures, his lowest since recording 64 tackles in 2019, Jones wasn’t the force Chiefs fans were used to seeing, and it came with a 20.7% missed tackle rate after posting a 2.7% missed tackle rate the year before.
If it weren't for Jones entering the third year of a five-year, $158.75 million contract extension, there’s a chance the Chiefs could have moved on. But that is much more feasible next offseason when the Chiefs would eat $19.5 million in dead money and save $18.6 million against the salary cap with a release or trade before June 1, according to Over The Cap.
That puts some pressure on Jones to perform, and Woods turns it up a notch. Woods didn’t have much in terms of production, with just five total sacks over three years as a starter at Clemson during his collegiate career. But he’s a project that can develop behind Jones this season. The Chiefs also added Khyiris Tonga in free agency, and 2025 second-round pick Omarr Norman-Lott is behind Jones, creating several alternatives if Jones can’t find his form.
It’s a situation that most Chiefs fans would like to avoid, keeping Jones in Kansas City in the same way Travis Kelce has stuck around for what will be his 14th season this fall. But if he doesn’t rebound this year, it could be the end, and Woods may have been added in the first round to drive the point home.
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