The Kansas City Chiefs are less than a week away from starting the regular season at home against the Detroit Lions. The issue dominating headlines about the team is the status of All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones, who seems committed to continuing his lengthy holdout.
The ongoing absence of Jones has affected the Chiefs’ plans on the defensive line throughout training camp and the preseason. Head coach Andy Reid has seen almost everything in his 25 years of experience and isn’t going to let the negotiations take a toll on his team heading into Week 1. Reid addressed the situation with Jones during Friday’s press conference and made a point to focus on the depth of Kansas City’s defensive line.
Buy Chiefs Tickets“Yeah, so I would tell you that you move on; I mean, as a coach, when the player is not here, then the next guy is up and rolling,” Reid said. “Chris (Jones) is a great player. We’ve got other good players that have to step their game up to fill the role of defensive tackle, defensive end, and so on. Everybody just has to play their best, and then you work through it.
“But to think that you’re going to fill in for Chris. I mean, that’s not that’s not what you’re doing. You’re the next man who comes up, and you try to utilize his strengths and let him get in there and play. We’ve had success doing that. So we’ll, we’ll do it again. I know the guys are excited to get in and play.”
Chiefs general manager Brett Veach mentioned on Wednesday that he’s maintained communication with Jones, hoping to reach a deal soon.
