The Chiefs Need More from Chris Jones

Chris Jones is one of the greatest Chiefs players of all time. But things haven’t gone his way so far in 2026.

The 32-year-old is off to a terrible start this season. Across six games, Jones has accumulated just 13 total tackles and half a sack. That includes a complete no-show in Seattle. Jones failed to register a single statistic in the loss to the Seahawks.

His struggles have coincided with the Chiefs’ pass rush having a lot of problems this season. Kansas City only has eight sacks as a team this season, tied with Philadelphia for the second-fewest in the entire league. The edge rushers have been part of the problem,  but the lack of an interior pass rush has been more concerning. Jones is right at the center of those problems.

It’s not just the lack of production on the stat sheet. The numbers under the hood aren’t very good either. Jones has earned a 57.8 overall grade from Pro Football Focus this season, good for 70th among 126 qualified defensive linemen. He has a 66.5 pass rush grade, which ranks 39th among all defensive linemen. His 40.4 run defense grade is 110th out of all qualified players at his position.

So while the pass rush concerns have been presented, Jones has also been a liability in the run game too. It’s all very concerning for a player making over $30 million each of the next four years. With the lack of production and his age, Kansas City has a right to wonder if Jones’ best days are behind him.

Jones needs to prove that’s not the case. The Chiefs are off to a 5-1 start without him contributing much of anything. If he can find his game and get back to playing at an All-Pro level, Kansas City may have enough for one more Super Bowl push. If Jones continues playing like this all season, it’ll be difficult for the Chiefs to get out of the AFC.

The Chiefs have holes all over the roster. They need a lot better production from the wide receiver room and kicker Harrison Butker. Those holes may be filled from outside the organization. The defensive line and pass rush problems won’t be. Brett Veach is counting on Jones’ track record to start kicking in. If he gets going, it’ll be just as good as a major trade deadline acquisition.

Jones has been an elite player for nearly a decade now. He didn’t just magically lose it over the offseason. There’s still a great player in there somewhere. The Chiefs need him to find that extra gear sooner rather than later.