ESPN just made Chris Jones the runner-up in NFL’s DT hierarchy

Chris Jones' run as the National Football League's best defensive tackle was supposed to last longer than this.

When Aaron Donald retired following the 2023 campaign, the conversation around Jones went from being the most dominant interior defender in the AFC to ruling the entire league. For years, Jones had always been in the conversation as the best disruptor on the inside, but 2024 silenced any other arguments. For the first time, Jones was without peers when it came to defensive tackles.

Apparently it only took one season for that discussion to change.

A recent ESPN poll (anonymous) of scouts, coaches, and executives from around the NFL ranked the best players at each position. When defensive tackle was revealed, it was clear Jones now has company once again.

Someone else has entered the chat for NFL's top defensive tackle, per an ESPN poll.

Kansas City Chiefs fans will balk at the notion that Jones isn't alone at the top of DT Mountain, but ESPN's rankings are framing Jones' talent as part of an overall top tier of players instead of being king of the hill.

Dexter Lawrence of the New York Giants took the top slot overall in ESPN's latest list—the sixth year in a row that they've released such results. It's natural to look on Lawrence so highly since he had the NFL's highest double-team rate, since it's clear opposing coordinators have such incredible respect for him.

With Jones at No. 2, it's not as if the league no longer respects him. Jeremy Fowler, who wrote the piece, points out his league-best pass-rush win rate as to why he's still in the top tier.

Some responses on the list were critical of his overall impact. One anonymous coach called him "increasingly one-dimensional" and others pointed to his lack of impact across all snaps, that perhaps he's winded since the Chiefs lean on him so heavily.

To that point of criticism, the Chiefs might feel inclined to agree, at least on their (over?) usage of him along the defensive front. The team sunk a rather surprisingly high pick on Omarr Norman-Lott in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft to land the class's best interior disruptor. Perhaps the vision is to give Jones some well-deserved rest during the regular season.

Jones made his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl last season for the Chiefs after finishing the year with 38 pressures and 5 sacks.