Can Chris Jones replace Dontari Poe?

The Kansas City Chiefs find themselves in a sticky situation with the possibility of Dontari Poe leaving, but can Chris Jones replace the Pro-Bowl defensive player?

The franchise deadline for a long-term deal has come and past for the Kansas City Chief and free safety Eric Berry.

With a possible long-term deal for Berry in the future where does that leave the upcoming free-agent Dontari Poe in terms of a deal with KC? Coming up on his fifth-year option, Poe will be playing 2016 under a contract of $6.1 million for this year, there are a lot of questions if the Chiefs will be able to keep him in 2017.

General manager John Dorsey knows this, and that’s why the selection of Mississippi State defensive tackle Chris Jones with the 37th-overall selection is this years draft makes a lot of sense. Dorsey has a way of drafting for the future, something he picked up during his time with the Green Bay Packers. While it stunk for the team to not pick in the first round, all faith is put into Dorsey who worked his magic this draft and acquired some more picks for the Chiefs do add some more talent to the roster.

Which brings us to the Poe situation. The Chiefs simply do not have the cap space (presently) to keep Poe and Berry, unless some magic is worked out. So when the Chiefs selected the raw player in Chris Jones, the idea behind that was not only to add depth but as a possible replacement for Poe if things go south; but is the rookie ready to fill those shoes?

Jones is a little lighter and a little bigger than Poe, coming in at around 310 pounds, and 6-foot-6 to Poe’s 6-foot-3, 340-pound frame. Jones is a raw talent, who does lack a little finesse, but on the other hand he is a big player who, if coached right, can be the steal if the draft in terms of value for the pick.

While Poe came on to be coached by then defensive coordinator Romeo Crennel, having Bob Sutton and Britt Reid coach Jones can only help mold the player into a possible replacement. But think about how raw a talent Poe was as well, and while his first year was not as good the next few years, he has truly developed, and that is the idea with Jones. At least Jones will have the benefit of learning under Poe, if he was to replace him in the long run.

Bottomline the Chiefs are in quite a bad situation in terms of money for the 2017 season, and unless some big moves can be made for the team, the defense might look a lot more different from the one to take the field in 2016.

What do you think, Addicts? Is Jones going to be coached to a possible replacement for Poe or do you have faith that things will work out for KC in 2017? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

Thanks for reading.

GO CHIEFS!!!!