Chris Jones still has the résumé to command respect, even with the questions hanging over his 2024 season.
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN ranked the Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle fourth on a recent top-10 list, a placement that carries some controversy after Jones’ uneven year. Fowler pointed to Jones’ run of seven straight Pro Bowls and his three consecutive All-Pro selections from 2022 through 2024, but he also noted that Jones has slipped in the voting for the second year in a row, something Fowler tied to “10 years in the league at a demanding position.”
The numbers from last season still pop. Jones finished with an 18.9% pass rush win rate, the best mark among defensive tackles, and he added seven sacks. He also led the league in pass-rush wins when double-teamed with 22, and he topped interior linemen with 45 pressures.
Even so, the concerns are real. Jones was criticized for not hustling on a key play against the Jacksonville Jaguars last year after previously accusing teammates of the same thing, only to be caught on tape himself and then walk back those comments in an embarrassing turn.
His contract remains part of the conversation, too. The Chiefs are committed to him in part because moving on would bring a crushing cap hit that would severely limit what Kansas City could do elsewhere.
There’s also the snap-count issue. Fowler said some evaluators believed Jones’ heavy workload helped drag down his production, and that may help explain why the Chiefs spent one of their two first-round picks on Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods.
“He's still a guy you have to game-plan for, but you don't feel him as much as you used to,” an NFL coordinator said. “He's been one of the best for a long time.”
That’s the tension surrounding Jones now: the production is still there in flashes and in the underlying metrics, but the Chiefs clearly want more consistency. Whether he’s in decline or just coming off a down year, Kansas City needs a bigger return from him this season.
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