What do the Kansas City Chiefs do if Chris Jones continues his holdout? Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has had to ask that question for a while now but an answer will be due soon. Their season opener against the Detroit Lions is now less than two weeks away.
Jones has been second only to Patrick Mahomes as the Chiefs' most valuable player in recent memory. The anchor to the defense and one of the very best players on his side of the ball, the 29-year-old lineman wants to be paid like one. He and the franchise have yet to strike a deal.
Spagnuolo admitted that the Chiefs will need some time to figure out a plan without Jones, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN. He said that continuity is key but that this year's team may not have that luxury without one of the keystones in the trenches and four-time Pro Bowler.
“You’re always looking for continuity and continuity comes with reps and being around each other and together,” Spagnuolo said, via ESPN. “We haven’t had that. [There are] a lot of moving pieces right now…Sometimes it takes the first quarter of the season to figure out who you are and what you have. Along the way you hope you’re winning games but it might take us a little while to figure all of that out.”
Jones recently teased that he would return for the Chiefs in Week 8. Exacerbating the Chiefs' concerns over what they would have to do without Jones is the fact that Charles Omenihu, a defensive lineman they signed in free agency, will be suspended for the first six games of the season.
By the point of Jones' alleged return, the Chiefs will have already faced a high-powered Lions offense; Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars; Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets; Kirk Cousins, Justin Jefferson and the Minnesota Vikings; and Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Chiefs will be leaning more heavily on 2022 first-round pick George Karlaftis and 2023 first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah to pressure quarterbacks until Chris Jones is back in the lineup.