Chris Jones remains as one of John Dorsey’s few defensive finds

Brett Veach has sent the majority of John Dorsey’s defensive players packing since taking over the GM role with the Chiefs.

This offseason saw an exodus of defensive talent for the Kansas City Chiefs. General manager Brett Veach filled the voids left with high dollar defensive players like Frank Clark and Tyrann Mathieu. The team also added other players in free agency and the draft as well. Rightfully so, as the 2018 rendition of the defense teetered on being historically bad.

Despite the struggles of his teammates, defensive lineman Chris Jones emerged as one of the best defenders in the National Football League. Tallying 15.5 sacks and being a nuisance for offenses across the league, Jones was a rare bright spot in 2018.

For some reason, Kansas City won’t commit to Jones. While everyone is quick to point to money, there are some other elements in play here. Let’s take a look at the full list of defenders on the Chiefs roster from the days of General Manager John Dorsey:

• Chris Jones
• Tanoh Kpassagnon

That’s it. Additionally, Kpassagnon could very well find himself on the outside looking in when it comes time to trim the roster down.

In the two years since the departure of Dorsey, the Chiefs have willingly let go of the defenders selected by the now Cleveland based General Manager. It is a bizarre reality to look at the four draft classes that Dorsey ran and come away with only two players on the defensive side of the ball. One starter, one backup. That’s it.

Could this be attributed to poor drafting by John Dorsey? Or is it stubborn pride on the part of Brett Veach, wanting to bring in his guys on the defensive side of the ball? Is this a larger indictment of the organization as a whole and their inability to identify defensive talent? Does the blame fall on the recently ousted defensive coaching staff and their inability to scheme and develop young talent?

The truth is likely a combination of these factors. However, as Chiefs Kingdom sits by and waits for Chris Jones to arrive at training camp, it’s worth remembering the context. Not only was Jones a rare bright spot on the defense, he’s also a rare holdover from the past regime.